


Black Maid

by Grave_Watcher



Series: Black Maid [1]
Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: F/M, Female Protagonist, Jealous Sebastian, Possessive Sebastian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-09-01 21:59:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 46
Words: 154,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8639791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grave_Watcher/pseuds/Grave_Watcher
Summary: Isabella Brieris is a Demon and has been a loyal servant to the Phantomhives for years, but after a great tragedy, what will happen when another Demon comes into the picture, and not only holds a deal for the soul of her young master, but also made it it his mission to turn her into his mate? (©This is a Black Butler series rewrite Fanfic of Sebastian x OC reader. I do not own Black Butler. All original characters belong to the creators.)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is something came up with not too long ago. To be clear, this is not a story mainly on my character, it may appear that way, but tis not!
> 
> If you don't like her appearance or her name, then don't make it difficult and just use that beautiful brain of yours to either imagine it's your own selected name or your name.
> 
> Thank you and do enjoy!

_** ** _

 

 _ **3 Years Ago...**_                                                                                                                          

You were currently walking around the town square in London, searching for your young master. Tomorrow was his 10th birthday and you were given the job of managing his birthday party, as ordered by your master, Lord Phantomhive.

It was snowing and a large decorated Christmas tree was placed in the middle of the square, amongst the ladies and gentlemen walking around it.

He had wandered off from your master and mistress, who had ordered you to search for him.

You finally spotted him in his green suit, brown gloves and red and white cover you had dressed him in earlier. You watched him closely as he approached a man.

"Hey Mr, tomorrow's my birthday, exciting huh!" He beamed up at the man.

You swiftly moved to walk up behind them. "Oh, my young lord, please." You said, putting your hands on his shoulders.

"I apologize, sir. Please forgive my young master." You said while bowing your head.

"Not to worry Madame, he is a very charming young man." The man said with a smile while removing his top hat. You gave him a closed-eyed smile in response.

"Isabella said that since tomorrow's my birthday, I can sleep in the same room with mother and father tomorrow night. And mother said she's going to read me as many stories as I want!" He happily informed.

You opened your eyes and peered down at him, your smile still on your face. "Well, that sounds very exciting, yes it does." The man said with a smile as he looked down at Ciel.

"Thank you sir, now young master, we best get back to your parents." You politely said while gently assuring him in the other direction.

"Goodbye, Mr!" Ciel called, waving at the man, who only nodded his head with a small wave.

 "Isabella, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Ciel?" He said while poking your side.

You chuckled. "My, my, you have been spending far too much time with Lady Elizabeth, my young lord." You said with a smirk as you both walked up to Your master and mistress.

"Oh, Ciel! There you are!" Rachel said as she ran up to Ciel, kneeling down and hugging him. "Oh Isabella, you found him!" She happily exclaimed, letting go of Ciel and looking up at you.

"Yes, my lady. I found him sharing the good news of what tomorrow is to a very kind gentlemen." You informed as you helped her up.

"Well, at least you are alright, Ciel." Vincent said as he ran his hand over Ciel's face, making him giggle.

"Now, shall we go?" Vincent asked as he extended an arm for Rachel to take. She took his arm while holding Ciel's hand with her other. "Come, Isabella." Vincent said as they began walking.

"Yes, sir." You said as you walked behind them.

You all arrived at the carriage and you opened the door for them. You bowed your head as you offered a hand to Rachel. She gladly accepted and climbed inside. Ciel did the same and Vincent stopped before entering.

"Isabella." He said turning to you.

You lifted your head and looked at him. "Yes, master?"

His face fell serious as he was silent for a moment. "I would like a word with you in the morning after your chores."

You gave him a charming smile and bowed your head. "Yes, my lord."

 ***At The Phantomhive Estate***                                                                                                                                 

"Young master, it is time for you to wake up." You said as you entered Ciel's room. He continued to snore as you opened the curtains and tied them in place.

You turned to see him yawn and rub his eyes. He groggily sat up and dangled his feet over the side of the bed while you gathered his outfit for the day: A white dress shirt, brown shorts, a brown jacket, black knee-high socks with their garters and brown heeled oxford shoes.

You pulled his night shirt over his head and pulled the sleeves of the night shirt over his arms, buttoning it up. "Pardon me, my young lord, but you don't seem as enlivened as I thought you would be this morning." You said as you pulled up his shorts before draping a brown tie around his neck, tying it into a perfect bow.

"Huh? Why would I be, Isabella?" He asked as you put on his jacket and buttoned it up.

"Well, today is a very special day for you, is it not?" You questioned as you pulled up his socks along with their garters and elegantly placed his feet in his shoes.

He pondered for a second before his face lit up. "That's right!" He exclaimed, getting off his bed and looking up at you. "Today's my birthday!" He shouted as he ran out the door and down the hallway.

You sighed and walked out of Ciel's room. You closed his door and turned to see an old man with a monocle, wearing a butler's uniform.

"Good morning, Tanaka." You greeted with a smile.

"Good morning, Isabella." He greeted back, returning your smile. "Lord Phantomhive has requested our presence." He informed.

"Of course, then let us go." You said with a nod as you both started to walk to Vincent's study.

You knocked on the wooden pine door once you both arrived at his study. You heard a muffled 'Enter' and you opened the door, the both of you walked in.

You came to stand in front of his desk, he was standing with his back turned to the both of you, gazing out the window. "Sir, you requested our presence?" Tanaka asked.

"Yes." He simply replied, not turning to face you.

"Master, the arrangements for the young lord's birthday party have been made and I must say, he seems quite eager for his celebration." You informed, but he only hummed in response, still facing the window with his hands behind his back.

 "I'm afraid the Queens guard dog will soon be destroyed." He said in a monotone voice.

Your eyes slightly widened while Tanaka's jaw dropped. "It can't be!" He said in complete shock.

He was silent for a few seconds before he spoke again. "Her majesty will obliterate the Lord Phantomhive, in other words...me." He said, still not looking at the two of you.

"I don't understand." You said in confusion.

"Yet I can bare no grudge against her, these are such troubled times..." He continued while closing his eyes. "But still-" He now turned to face the two of you. "I would appreciate it if you both keep it from Ciel, it is possible that I will be killed. You both should still remain loyal."

You narrowed your eyes at him and kept your face emotionless. "My Lord, it is my duty to protect you with my life, to remain loyal to you, even if I breathe my last breath—"

"No." He firmly stated, causing you to stop and look at him in surprise.

"This is an order, Isabella. In the event of my death, you will make no attempt to save me." He ordered in a firm voice.

Tanaka was still in shock, so he didn't notice the contract mark on the back of his neck brightly glow along with the contract mark on your left hand brightly glow underneath your silky white glove.

You closed your eyes and internally sighed before getting on one knee, doing a low bow. "Yes, my lord." You said. You lifted your head, your eyes turning a Fuischa pink for a moment.

"But my lord" Tanaka pleaded.

"What have you ever known hatred to accomplish?" Vincent questioned with a soft smile.

You kind of felt bad for the fate of your master. He had a good soul, you have seen him be a good man, a great husband and an even better father, and he surely didn't deserve the fate that was given to him.

Tanaka bowed his head with a sad expression. "Of course, sir, you are right...now I must go check the final arrangements." He said, quickly leaving the room with tears in his eyes, leaving the both of you in an awkward silence.

"Master" You finally said after a moment of silence. "I simply cannot stand and watch as the one thing I am supposed to prevent happen to you. After all, a demon's master always comes before any order given, now if I couldn't due something as simple as that, then what kind of maid would I be?" You said with a devilish smile.

He slightly laughed "Well, it appears you will or else you will break our contract and as you said, you will remain loyal to me until the end. Not to worry, you will still obtain my soul afterwards." He said, sitting down at his desk.

"Isabella, may I ask a favor of you?" He said, looking up at you.

You gave him your signature fake smile. "Of course, my lord."

He sighed. "I would very much like if you would keep this from Ciel, not only as my servant, but as my friend. Please...will you do me this one favor...as my friend?"

 You went stiff for a moment, you have never been called a friend before. You were a demon and was only ever referred to as one or as a mere servant.

"If that is what you wish...Vincent." You said with a genuine smile. He smiled back at your words.

"Thank you, now, there is one last order I have for you." He said as he stood from his desk and walked to stand in front of you. You remained still and held an emotionless face, awaiting your orders.

"This is an order, Isabella." He began, both of your marks starting to glow. "No matter what may come of me, your first priority will always remain Ciel. You will protect and serve him as you have done for me and more, by any means necessary." He strongly ordered, your marks now shining brighter than they ever have before.

Your eyes turned Fuischa and cat like as a dark, demonic ora began to surround you. "Yes, my lord."

_Later that Night..._

  
You were outside walking through the gardens, taking your nightly patrol around the Manor.

You stopped walking as a strong repulsive smell filled your nose. You closed your eyes and took a huge whiff out of the air and recognized the smell of several bad souls along with something else you hadn't smelled before that was very foul. It smelled neither demonic, nor human, yet somewhat familiar.

You opened your eyes and turned your head to the left of the direction of the foul scents. "Something smells." You said to yourself, before turning and heading into the manor.

**. . .**

Vincent was in his study, sitting at his desk with his head in the palm of his hand as he gazed out the window. ***Knock Knock Knock***

"Enter" he said, not looking away from the window.

You entered the room with a vigilant look on your face. "Sir, it appears we have some uninvited guests." You informed.

"Is that so?" He said in a quiet voice.

"Shall I show them our fullest hospitality?" You asked with a devious look in your eyes.

"No." He said. You gave him a surprised look.

"It appears my extermination has come sooner rather than later." He said as he turned and stood up. "You do remember your orders, yes?" He said as he looked at you.

"Of course, sir."

"Good, bring Rachel to the loft and keep Ciel away from anywhere they may suspect me to be." He said as he walked across the room to the door.

"Master." You said, stopping him in his tracks.

"What is it, Isabella?" He asked, turning to face you.

"I sensed something other than souls, it was rather unusual and quite repulsive." You said with a slightly disgusted face. "It is possible that there may be something other than assassins that may make an appearance tonight." You said while turning to face him.

He looked down in thought then back up at you. "Then if it does you will keep Ciel away from it." He said with a nod.

"Yes sir, until the end of me." You said with a bow.

"Then that is all that shall concern you." He said as he opened the door and was about to walk out, until you spoke.

"Sir, I must say...it's been a pleasure serving you and I shall remember you for many lifetimes." You said in a truthful, sincere voice.

He turned and looked at you. "You truly aren't like other demons are you, Isabella?" He questioned with a smirk.

"No, sir. You see I am simply one hell of a maid." You said, returning his smirk.

He rose an eyebrow and gave a chuckle as he walked out of the room and closed the door.

**. . .**

You were kneeling on the roof, watching the forest that surrounded the back of the property, waiting for the eliminators who were sent to kill your master to appear.

You had your young master in his room, playing with one of his toys below you. You had convinced him to stay in his room until his parents called for him, which was most likely not going to happen.

You felt bad for your master, but you were mostly worried for Ciel. Surviving this experience will most likely traumatize him and that of course will attract other demons.

Your gaze wandered over to the far right side of the mansion as you saw multiple men in hooded cloaks sneak into the side entrance of the manor.

You hummed as you continued to watch them, but stopped once you saw a bright orange-yellow light begin to animate from the far side, you quickly realized it was fire.

You looked to your left to see it happening from the other side as well. "So, that's their move." You thought out loud. You jumped off the roof onto the balcony of Ciel's room and went inside. "Young master—" You stopped once you realized the room was empty.

Your eyes locked on his bedroom door, that was wide open. Flames started to come in the window and quickly spread throughout the room as you moved in a blur, out the room and after Ciel.

_Meanwhile..._

Ciel was running down the hallway, towards the main Loft to his parents. Once he saw the fire, he got scared and ran out of his room. The manor was already mostly engulfed in flames, everywhere there was fire as he ran.

"Mother! Father! Isabella! Where are You?!" He shouted as he ran. He bursted through the room to the main parlor, slamming the door open.

"Father!" He shouted, until he suddenly went stiff with his eyes wide and mouth open at the sight of his father, already dead, sitting in a chair with the room surrounded by flames.

He suddenly regained himself and ran away, crying. His vision went blurry as he ran into a firm chest. He looked up and saw a panicking Tanaka. "Young master, you need to run, now!" He shouted as he pushed Ciel towards the back exit.

Tanaka then suddenly screamed in pain. He looked back with wide eyes, seeing a knife plunged into his back, before the same hands that had did the damage grabbed him and threw him through the double doors that led to the garden, Ciel watching him tumble out the door. Ciel was then grabbed by his jacket which came undone and was torn off his arms.

A hand clamped his mouth with more hooded figures moving in on him, until the attacker screamed in pain. Ciel opened his eyes to see you, breaking the man's arm and tossing him into the flames. "Isabella!" Ciel screamed through tears.

You grabbed him and moved him aside while grabbing the wrist of another intruder who was attempting a punch towards you.

"Young master, close your eyes and no matter what, do not open them until I say to." You commanded and he immediately tightly shut his eyes.

After seeing he had closed his eyes, your eyes then turned Fuischa pink and you crushed the man's wrist in your hand, his scream of pain filing your ears as you felt Ciel tightly hold onto you. You swiftly plunged your arm into his chest, pulling out his heart. You threw his heart on top of his body as he fell with a thud.

Another man came towards you and you moved in a blur, moving Ciel away and throwing him against the burning wall and smashing his head against it, which then crumbled and fell.

You turned to Ciel and went to grab him, until another man came to you and you grabbed him and saw another wall was about to come down and you moved towards it. You threw the man underneath the falling wall and turned to see two large flaming pillars falling on top of you "Ciel, run!" You yelled as they landed on you.

Ciel opened his eyes and watched in horror as more rubble and parts of the manor fell down on you.

"Isabella!" He yelled as he tried to run to you, but was grabbed and slammed against the floor. He tried to reach out to you as he kept screaming your name when the floor that was beneath you crumbled and collapsed.

He was then dragged down the hallway, still screaming your name while crying until he blacked out.

**. . .**

You dug through the piles of wood that was piled on top of you until you completely threw them in the air and jumped out, landing on your knees. You stood up and looked around you, taking in your surroundings.

The entire manor was gone, all that remained were pieces of wood and ashes. You walked around to where the front of the manor used to be and looked up at it. *sigh* "How unfortunate." A shining light then came into view and you walked over to it. You leaned over and picked up the remains of the Phantomhive ring that your master had worn.

You studied it before looking up at the manor. You stared at it and hummed in thought before pulling out your silver pocket watch and opening it. "6:34" You closed it and put it back in your pocket.

"I better get started and finish in time for his arrival." You said before you jumped high in the air and came down, smashing your fist into the rubble. The ground shook and all the pieces surrounding the area rose up in the air.

You ran across the now empty dirt covered path and created different path lines, making a giant 3D blueprint of the manor by memory. You then jumped back up in the air and grabbed certain pieces and began to throw them into the Ariel blueprint, allowing them to land while standing upright, acting as temporary support beams.

You quickly ran to the forest and retrieved a few trees and an back all in a blur. You carved, cut and chopped with inhuman speed until you created a detailed back wall of the manor. You continued this process in building the front wall and main door and side walls.

You jumped back up in the air and grabbed all of the remaining pieces of broken glass and quickly put them all back together into multiple windows, which any human would've found to be impossible. You grabbed the pile of windows and began to run around the manor in an inhuman speed, throwing the windows back into place as you did so.

You jumped back in the air, higher now. Your eyes turned Fuischa pink as a grin crossed your face when you started to twirl and move in a very fast pace that only increased. A forced wind began to quickly pick up as all the remaining broken, burned, soot covered pieces began to lift and twirl into a tornado. The tornado began to grow until it covered the entire property.

While in the tornado, you managed to gain full control and direct the pieces onto each other, which cleaned and polished them all while merging together. The force was so great that all the now clean pieces were fast, hastily moving to build into bed frames, staircases, walls, floors and furniture pieces as if being conducted in an orchestra.

You stopped twirling and let them hang in the air for a second before creating a massive wave of air and striking it down upon your buildings, sending them falling down and perfectly aligning with the dirt blueprint. The floor pieces locked onto each other and fell onto the supporting beams, followed by the beds, the bathroom necessities, the staircases, the detailed walls and hallways, even the paintings and kitchen items all fell together perfectly, ending with the large roof pieces that perfectly aligned.

**. . .**

By the time you had finished, the skies were gray with thunder crackling and drops of rain began to fall. You landed back on your feet and stared at the newly identical manor now standing in front of you.

You smiled at your work and opened your clenched fist, now holding a perfect, fixed ring that identically matched your master's without a scratch showing. "Now that is much better." You said as you dusted off your hands and placed the ring on the ground. "Now all it needs is a master." You said just before you heard a carriage approaching.

You quickly hid in the trees and watched as a black carriage pulled up. The door opened and you saw a tall, handsome man with black hair, red eyes, and pale skin. He was dressed in a butler's outfit, which consisted of black trousers, a six-button double-breasted tailcoat, and a gray vest. What caught your eye was the Phantomhive crest on his shirt cuffs and tie. He seemed to be sporting white gloves, a pocket watch, and a chained silver lapel pin bearing the Phantomhive crest, traditionally worn by the house's head butler.

He was followed by a young boy you recognized as your young master.

He wore baggy, worn out clothing with a bandage around his right eye with a broken frown on his face. You watched as he stared at the manor with a shocked expression before walking up to it. He stood in front of the water fountain before looking down and picking up the ring you had left him.

He stared at it for a few moments before putting it on with clenched fists. You stared at them for a moment before turning and walking away, heading for the place you were ordered to go to after the incident. Pretending to be unaware of the red eyes that were watching you.

 


	2. His Maid, Able: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3 years after the fateful tragedy of the Phantomhive Manor, a familiar face returns to that very mansion. But, how could they ever prepare for another demon that doesn't take a happy look at their new guest.

_3 Years Later..._

***Windsor Castle***

The sunlight reflected on Your royal crest that was pinned to your maid uniform, which casted a beam of light onto the wall, indicating your arrival along with the clicking of your heeled boots as you walked down the grand corridor towards Queen Victoria's bedroom after she had requested your presence.

You have been serving as the queen's head maid for two years since the death of your master. Strangely, part of his last orders were to go to the very person who had him killed and work for her.

Over the few years you have served her, she had grown quite fond of you and had even gave you a name: The Queen's royal Cat due to you being able to squeeze your way into any situation and easily deliver anything she asks without question.

Ironic, isn't it?

You check on your young master from time to time, but not very often. The man who you had first seen with Ciel you had learned to be a Demon, who usually senses you, so you stay within the forest and never go on the property that you had rebuilt.

Unlike the Phantomhive manor, the royal palaces were always filled with up to 100 servants. It makes you wonder why she even wanted another Maid. Then again, humans were very strange.

You stopped walking once you reached the outside of the Queen's bedroom. You raised your white, glove covered hand and knocked on the large white double doors. 'Come In' You heard a weak voice say.

You opened the door and walked in to find the Queen sitting on the large bed with her hair covering her face and the covers pulled up to her chest. You saw her frail figure through the drapes that covered her bed, hiding her from your view.

You stopped in front of her bed and bowed. "Good morning, your majesty. You called for me?"

"Yes...come here, Isabella." She said in a quiet voice as she outstretched her hand to you.

You walked over to the side of her bed and knelt down. "My dear Cat, I have been so selfish keeping you here." She began, making you tilt your head at her. "I should've returned you to your master a long time ago, but I have grown so fond of you that it has been rather difficult to do so." She admitted and you gave her a fake smile.

"However, the time has come that you shall go back to being the head maid of the Phantomhive manor." She softly.

This time you gave her a real smile. It was true that it would be entertaining in seeing everyone's reaction to seeing you alive.

You already knew that Ciel and Tanaka assumed you had died in the fire along with everyone else you had known.

A wide grin then spread across your face, at the thought of them finding out.

"Now I have already sent out a letter to lord Phantomhive..." Your grin then faltered at the thought of him already knowing. "...I had told him I am sending him a surprise, but he does not know that it is you." She finished and your grin returned.

"You will leave in one hour and I will send you off with a new case for my Guard Dog." She informed.

You nodded your head and stood up. "Yes, your majesty." You said with a bow.

_Meanwhile..._

***At The Phantomhive manor***

"Master, it is time for you to wake up." The Phantomhive Demon butler announced as he entered Ciel's room, who continued to snore as he opened the curtains and tied it in place, causing him to open his eyes.

"For breakfast today, we have a lightly poached salmon accompanied by a delicate mint salad." He stated as he poured Ciel a cup of tea.

"I can also offer toast, scones, or pain de champagne." He said while Ciel sat up in bed. "Which dish would you care for this morning?" He asked as Ciel yawned.

"A scone." Ciel replied as he shielded the sun from his eyes.

"Today you have a meeting with Mr. Hughes, the authority of the history of the Roman Empire." He informed as Ciel reached over for his eye patch on his night stand and put it on along with his Phantomhive ring and family crest ring.

"And this evening, Mr. Damiano of the Poseidon company will be paying you a visit." He stated as he pulled Ciel's sleeves of his shirt over his arms.

"Oh, is that the man I have in charge of stuffed animals at my factory in India?" Ciel asked as he tied a blue tie around Ciel's neck into a perfect bow.

"Yes, I'm told he's Italian. We will of course offer him all the hospitality the estate can provide." He said as he placed Ciel's shoes on his feet while Ciel picked up his cup of tea.

"I know this smell...is this tea Earl Grey?" Ciel asked before taking a sip.

"Yes, from Jacksons of Piccadilly." He replied as he stood up.

"Oh, and this came for you, sir." He said as he pulled out a letter with the Queen's royal seal on it.

Ciel looked at it before taking another sip of his tea and placing it on the night stand. He picked the letter from the butler's hand and ripped it open.

Ciel's one uncovered left blue eye scanned the paper from top to bottom and he hummed once he was finished. "It appears we have another visitor coming today." Ciel said as he folded up the paper.

"Is that so, sir?" The butler asked.

"Yes, they will be arriving in one hour." 

The butler sighed. "Well then, the arrangements must be prepared rather briskly."

Ciel held up his hand at him."That won't be necessary. According to her majesty, they are not a guest, but rather a disclosure. I imagine they are an old acquaintance of mine." He put down his hand. "We will carry on today as planned."

"Very well. I shall wait for you at the dining table, master." The butler said as he put his hand over his heart and began to walk away until Ciel grabbed a dart from the night stand and threw It at the demon butler, who effortlessly caught it between two of his fingers without turning around.

"Well throw my lord." He said before turning to look at him with his crimson red eyes. "Even so, let's save the games for later."

Ciel stared at him for a moment before standing up off the bed. "Yes, I suppose you're right, Sebastian." Ciel said. Sebastian turned and shut the door behind him.

**. . .**

Ciel was sitting at the dining table, eating his breakfast while his four servants: his maid with red hair and glasses, his blonde chef who had a thing for explosions, his blonde gardener who was a rather young innocent boy that had inhuman strength, and Tanaka stood in the room with him.

He then picked up one of his darts and through it at his young gardener boy, who howled in pain. "Ow! Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow!" He shrieked as he ran around and stopped in front of Ciel.

"What was that for master? What did I do?" He questioned as he rubbed the back of his head while Ciel only sipped his tea.

"Nothing, I don't need to justify my actions." Ciel said coolly.

The gardener only looked at him and exhaled. The doors then opened, revealing Sebastian. "There you are."

"Have you finished weeding the courtyard, Finny?" He questioned the gardener who only awkwardly shifted and rubbed his head again. "Mey-Rin, have you washed all the bedding?" He now asked the maid who had been staring longingly at Sebastian.

"Oh, um...well." She said with a red blush on her cheeks.

"Baldroy, shouldn't you be preparing for tonight's dinner?" Sebastian now questioned the Chef who was rubbing the back of his neck while smoking a cigarette. He only smirked in response.

"Tanaka.." Sebastian started, now looking at Tanaka who was innocently drinking his tea. "Well, I suppose you're alright as you are." He said before looking back at the three servants.

"Now, all of you, we have an important guest arriving in now under 30 minutes..." He started off in a calm voice. "So get to work!" He commanded.

The servants all suddenly became frightened and ran out of the dining room. "Yes, sir!" Mey-Rin called as she ran.

Sebastian looked back at their retreating figures. "Simply hopeless." He muttered. Ciel seemed unfazed and only took a bite out of his scone.

**. . .**

Ciel was walking up the main staircase with his cane in hand, but stopped to look at the large portrait of his parents that stood in the center.

He stared at it for a few moments until a loud knock erupted from the front double doors. He turned his gaze away from the portrait and over to his right at the large doors.

"It seems our guest has arrived rather early." Sebastian said, now suddenly appearing beside Ciel, causing him to jump.

Ciel looked at him and sighed. "Well, are you just going to stand there or are you going to open the door." Ciel said with an irritated voice, putting a hand on his hip.

"Certainly, sir." Sebastian said as he walked down the stairs and to the front door.

The four servants suddenly ran into the room. "We heard someone knockin'. Is that the guest already?" Baldroy asked.

"Yes, now all of you look sharp now." Sebastian said.

"Right!" They all said.

Sebastian twisted the knob and opened the door, revealing a woman with long, layered raven black hair that had her long bangs falling in her face. Pale white skin that still made her look rather beautiful, a curvy figure that any woman would envy with wide hips and a slightly large bust that complemented her greatly.

Wearing only a simple casual black dress that buttoned up to her neck along with black gloves, but what stood out most of all were her eyes, that were crimson red.

The three servants jaws all dropped at the sight of you as Ciel immediately froze with a wide eye while Sebastian remained stoke and gave you his signature smile.

"Hello, you must be our guest. I am Sebastian Michaelis, head butler of the Phantomhive estate." He greeted while placing his hand over his heart.

You looked him over and noted his identical appearance to you. You gave a charming smile. "Hello, I am Isabella Brieris, head maid of the Phantomhive household." You greeted while bowing your head.

Sebastian now gave a surprised expression, before the sound of Ciel's cane hitting the ground caused everyone to look at him. You held a small smile as you stared at his wide mouth and eye.

"Master?" Sebastian called, slightly, but only slightly concerned.

"I-I-Is" He managed to stutter out.

Your smile turned into a grin as you stepped inside. "My young lord, surely you can at least manage a full sentence. Now I instructed you on how, remember?" You said with a smirk as you tilted your head.

Everyone now stared at you, especially Sebastian, who was the only one who could sense you being a Demon.

Ciel suddenly ran to you and wrapped his arms tightly around your waist. Everyone stared at him in disbelief, including Sebastian. You were even slightly shocked yourself.

"Isabella." He whispered.

"Hello, Ciel." You said as you rubbed his head.

He then let go of you and took a hold of your arm. "Sebastian, come." He commanded as he pulled you down the hall, towards his study.

"Yes, sir." You heard him reply.

***In Ciel's Study***

Ciel slammed the door shut once you all entered his study. He walked over to his desk and plopped in the seat, putting his head in his hands.

Sebastian was staring at you suspiciously the whole time, but you ignored him.

There was a moment of silence before you spoke up.

"Is something troubling you, my lord?" You asked with a smirk. He slowly looked up at you.

"H-how." He stuttered before standing up and slapping his hands on the desk. "How are you alive!?" He demanded.

You kept an emotionless face and said nothing.

"I watched piles of debris fall on you, I watched you fall through the floor. They couldn't find your body, so how are you alive after 2 years!" He yelled. "Tell me!" He demanded again.

You stared at him before looking at the wall to your right and walked over to it. "Hmm. I remember this being nothing more than a heap of ash and wood." You said as you looked around the room. They both intently stared at you as you spoke.

"I must say it was rather strenuous getting every detail perfectly correct..." You said as you traced the pattern in the wall with your finger. "No matter, I managed it nonetheless." You finished, turning to face them.

Ciel stared at you with a wide eye. "You-You reconstructed the manor?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes, in fact I completed it just as you arrived. Perfect timing I must say, my lord." You answered with a smile.

A look of confusion came across his face. "But you couldn't have survived. You couldn't have built it from scratch, not if you were..." Realization crossed his face.

A devilish grin then came on your face. "Not if I was human, which I am not. I am a demon, Ciel." You said as you walked to the center of the room.

His eye widened in shock. "And I know of your contract with this Demon." You said while glancing at Sebastian. Ciel bowed his head in shame. "I imagine that is why you wear the eye patch. To conceal the mark." You said while gesturing to his covered right eye. He lifted his head and instinctively touched his eye.

"Sebastian, go make the preparations for our guest. I would like to speak with Isabella in private." Ciel said to Sebastian.

Sebastian continued to glare at you. "Master, are you sure you wish to be alone with... ** _her_**."

You turned to look at Sebastian. "No need to fret Sebastian, I have no interest in Ciel's soul. I only wish to protect him." You said in a serious voice.

"Is that so?" He said with a raised eyebrow, still not convinced.

You narrowed your eyes at him before raising your left hand and pulling off your glove with your teeth. You moved your hand over your left eye to show him your black claw like nails and dark red contract mark.

"I have been ordered to protect Ciel with all of my being. I have been present since his birth, if I wanted his soul I would've taken it long ago, so I suggest you show some respect as the perfect Butler you portray." You stated while staring at him.

He stared right back at you before smiling. "My apologies miss Brieris, I shall go start the preparations for tonight's guest." He said, turning to Ciel and bowing.

He stood up and walked to the door, giving you a sideways glance as he did so.

Once he left the room, you turned to Ciel and smiled.

"Sit." He said while gesturing to the chair in front of him. You obeyed at sat down. "Now, tell me everything..." He said while placing his elbows on his desk.

 


	3. His Maid, Able: 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It appears the Lord Phantomhive wishes to conduct an interrogation. This should be fun...

You smiled at him. "Where shall I begin?" You asked.

"Who do you hold a contract with?" He questioned.

Your smile slightly dropped. "My master was Vincent Phantomhive." You answered. He gave an unreadable face.

"What were your last orders?" He questioned.

Your smile returned. "That no matter what came of him, my first and only priority would remain you. That I shall protect and serve you as I have him and more, by any means necessary." You answered.

His eye slightly widened, before his face turned cold. "If that is so, then where have you been?"

You kept a neutral face. "Part of my previous orders were to report to the queen if anything should come to happen to him or any member of the Phantomhives. Once I arrived, she took it in her liberty to make me her head maid."

"But your orders were to serve me, why did you not turn her down?" He immediately questioned you.

"The Phantomhives have served her majesty for generations, me being a part of them, any servant of the Phantomhives who can't live up to their name aren't worth their salt." You answered with a smirk.

He was silent for a moment, then shyly looked down. "Were you ordered to be kind to me?" He quietly asked.

You gave a warm smile. "No, I was only ordered to protect you."

He looked at you. "You are a Demon, therefore you do not care for my well-"

"I am a demon, yes, but I am not all Demon." You cut him off.

He gave you a curious look. "What do you mean?"

You sighed. "I was spawned by a Demon and a human. I have mostly inherited the traits of a Demon, but there are some I have gained from my human mother."

He furrowed his brows. "Traits like what?"

"I am able to transform into a black feline at any time I wish because I am a cat Demon. I can survive on either blood or Souls, but I prefer blood. And I may care for certain individuals...by that I mean you."

He slightly laughed. "Interesting, if you do not prefer to devour souls, than why make a contract deal?"

"The souls I gain are not for me."

"Then who are they for?" 

You laughed. "Now, my lord. I cannot reveal everything." You said with a smile.

He huffed and stared at you for a moment. "Very well, you will resume your position as head maid and be my servant. Both you and Sebastian will accompany me on all of my travels. I am sure you remember my father's associates?"

"Of course, sir." You replied with a smile.

"Good, I cannot waste my time reminding you." He said, leaning back and placing his head in the palm of his hand. "Now, change out of those clothes and put on your uniform. You'll find it in your room."

You stood and bowed your head. "And when you are done come see me, I'm sure you will want to witness Sebastian's reaction to you working here." He said with a smirk.

You smirked back." Yes, that will be an interesting sight. By the way, sir. Why exactly did you name him Sebastian?" You asked with a tilted head.

He smiled. "Because he reminds me of the dog." He simply said and you chuckled before leaving the room.

You walked to your old room and entered it. Everything was how it was, from the large black bed frame with dark red sheets along with the matching dark, blood red walls with black drapes that led to the balcony.

You smiled at your room before moving to your black wardrobe and opened it.

You saw multiple white blouses and black ruffled skirts along with a few coats and shoes.

You unbuttoned the top of your dress and slipped it off your shoulders, letting it fall to the ground. You removed your heels and gloves, placing them on top of the wardrobe.

All that remained on you was your black lace top sheer stockings with a black seam, your garter belt, your dark violet corset and your red Scarlett ring.

You grabbed one of the blouses and pushed it over your arms, buttoning it up. You then grabbed one of the skirts and pulled it high up to your waist and zipped the back. You grabbed the black suede ankle boots, slipped your feet into them and tied them up.

You stood up and grabbed the black waist coat that had a large opening for your breasts to be placed and buttoned it around your waist.

You grabbed your gloves and were about to put them on until something caught your eye. You turned to see a pair of white gloves along with a pocket watch and a sapphire broach.

You walked over to the bed and picked up the silky white gloves, noticing the Phantomhive crest at the bottom of them.

You smiled and pulled them over your hands before picking up the silver pocket watch. It had a chain that ended with a pin of the Phantomhive crest. You pinned it to the left side of your coat, placing the pocket watch into your pocket. You then picked up the sapphire broach and studied it for a moment.

You hummed before pinning it at the top of your collar. Once you finished you turned and left your room.

The clicking of your heeled boots echoed down the hall as you reached the Study. You raised your fist to knock until you heard the voices of Ciel and Sebastian.

"I'm a bit hungry, I'd like something sweet to eat." You heard Ciel say. A small smile appeared on your face. He always had a hankering for sweets.

"You shouldn't eat now master. You don't want to spoil your appetite for dinner with your guest this evening." Sebastian said.

"I don't care about that. Make me a parfait."

"I'm sorry, sir."

You heard Ciel scoff. "Fine then."

"Where is our guest?" Sebastian asked.

"She is changing into her uniform." Ciel informed. It went silent and you smirked.

"I see...so you have taken her up for employment?" Sebastian finally said.

"She never stopped. She was only on a temporary leave." Ciel corrected.

"No matter, I'm sure you will be quite interested in her." Ciel added. Your smirk dropped.

"I'm sorry, how do you mean master?" Sebastian asked.

"Well...she is a cat demon. You do have a strange obsession of cats, don't you, Sebastian?" You could practically see Ciel's smirk.

You internally sighed. _Well isn't that just lovely_

You then rose your hand and knocked on the door. _ **'Enter'**_

You opened the door and walked to stand in front of Ciel's desk, next to Sebastian, who was holding a silver tray under his arm and now intently staring at you.

"Good. You actually look like a maid now. I see you got my gifts." Ciel said, mostly eyeing the broach.

"Yes, I am deeply honored that you would go to such trouble for a mere servant, sir." You said while placing a hand on your stomach and bowing your head.

"Of course, you are not only a servant. You are my servant." He simply replied. You rose your head and gave him a closed eyed smile.

"Oh and about the portrait in the hallway." Ciel said, now standing up and facing the window.

"Yes, sir?" Sebastian asked.

"Take it down." He said. Both you and Sebastian gave a slightly surprised look.

"I am Ciel Phantomhive, son of Vincent. And I am the head of the house now." Ciel strongly said.

The room fell silent as both you and Sebastian shared the same smirk. You both bowed. "Consider it done, my lord." you said.

**. . .**

You were walking next to Sebastian down the hallway after leaving Ciel's study since there seemed to be a loud explosion in the kitchen. You suggested that you should hurry, but Sebastian didn't really care and insisted you both took your time.

"I understand you are quite familiar with the house considering you built it." Sebastian spoke up.

"Yes." You simply said.

He suddenly slammed you against the wall and placed his hands on either side of your head, caging you with his body.

"I also understand that you are a Cat Demon." He said as he leaned his face close to yours. You kept an emotionless face.

"And you are a crow demon, now that we've established that, why don't you just tell me what's on your mind, Sebastian." You answered.

He stared at you for a moment. "There is only one cat Demon I know of and that is that which was spawn of another Demon and the dreaded Vampire." He said in a disgusted voice. "If that is so, that would also mean that _**you**_ are Lucifer's pet." He spat.

"I am here because I serve my king. Every soul I collect is for him, but I am not here for Ciel's soul. I do truly wish to only protect him." You finally said in a monotone voice. He leaned in even closer to you to where your could feel his warm breath tickle your lips.

You both stared into each other's identical crimson eyes until he spoke. "I know. I believe you." He said, now leaning away from you, but keeping his hands beside your head.

You heard a squeak and you both turned to see the four servants staring at you with their faces red.

Sebastian quickly moved away from you and you both regained yourselves. "You all remember Isabella, she is resuming her role as head maid of the Phantomhive estate." Sebastian said while gesturing to you.

You gave them a smile. "Hello, it is very nice to meet you all."

They all stared at you before Sebastian cleared his throat at them.

"Hello! I'm Finny, I'm the gardener." The short blonde with the straw hat greeted.

"Oy, I'm the Chef, Baldroy, but you can call me Bard." The charred blonde who's hair was sticking up from the explosion said with a wink.

"Hi! I'm Mey-Rin, I'm the maid." The redhead with the glasses said.

You smiled at the three of them before looking behind you to see Tanaka who wasn't at his natural state, drinking tea out of his Japanese cup. "Hello, Tanaka. I am glad to see you again alive and well." You said as you smiled down at him.

He nodded. "Ho, ho, ho." He laughed.

You sighed. "Oh Tanaka, how I've missed you."

"Now. How exactly. Did this. Happen?" Sebastian asked the three servants as he pointed at the scenes of the green extracted courtyard, the smashed-to-bits tea set, and the main dish that had been turned to charcoal. They all suddenly went stiff.

"I thought things would go faster if I used extra strength weed killer on the garden." Finny cried.

"I was trying to reach the tea set we used for guests, but I tripped and the cabinet fell." Mey-Rin said in a high pitched voice, obviously scared.

"There was a load of meat to cook for dinner and it was gonna take a long time, so, uh, I used me flamethrower." Bard simply said.

Both you and Sebastian stared at them, obviously annoyed as you rose an eyebrow at them. "Oh! We're so sorry, we didn't mean to!" Mey-Rin and Finny started to cry while Bard only scratched the back of his neck.

You crossed your arms and looked at Sebastian who was lost in thought as they continued to ramble on.

"Calm down, all of you!" You yelled, making them stopped crying. "Perhaps you should take a page out of Tanaka's book and stop behaving like-" You stopped and looked back at Tanaka, or more specifically, his Japanese tea cup. He gave you a confused look.

"Everyone, listen closely and do exactly as I say, understand? We must be quick about this." You said as you walked over to Tanaka and took his tea cup. "We might save this night yet." You said as you held up his tea cup.


	4. His Maid, Able: 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Night has fallen and the young master doesn't seem to have taking a liking to the new Italian selection.
> 
> By his orders, we will gladly give our full hospitality to Mr. Domiano and we will rid of the Master's displeasure.
> 
> We should hope things don't heat up too quickly, for I am simply one hell of a maid.

You were standing outside of the manor next to Sebastian and the servants as you all waited for the arrival of your guest.

"I must say, that was rather haste thinking you had." Sebastian stated as he looked at you.

You smiled and turned to him. "But of course, you see I am simply one hell of a maid." You stated with a slight smirk.

He rose an eyebrow at you and smirked. "Indeed." He agreed just as the sound of horses clicking approached as a carriage came into view.

"Shall we greet him together?" He asked as he turned to start walking.

"Yes." You both walked to stand beside the carriage as it stopped. You and Sebastian stood on either side of the Carriage door as Sebastian opened the door.

You both bowed your heads as a man with a goatee, wearing a brown suit stepped out of the carriage with a confident smile.

His jaw dropped as his eyes went wide when he stared at the yard, that had been turned into a large stone garden.

"Hello, welcome sir." The servants greeted as they bowed.

The man continued to stare in awe as you walked up behind him while Sebastian shut the door. "This is called a 'Stone Garden'. It is a traditional feature in Japan." You explained.

The man was silent for a moment. "Ah, Prodigioso! Wonderful! Truly an elegant garden." He exclaimed as he outstretched his arms.

"We thought it appropriate to be serving dinner Al Fasco, this evening. Allow him to escort you inside until the meal is ready." Sebastian said, while gesturing to Tanaka.

The man laughed as he started to follow Tanaka inside. "I should have expected this from a Phantomhive. I cannot wait to see what else is in store." He stated as he entered the manor, Tanaka closing the door after.

"Woo, we actually made it." Bard said in relief as he wiped his forehead.

"Who'd have thought a dozen bags of gravel could turn into an amazing garden!" Finny beamed at the garden as you and Sebastian walked to the entrance, Sebastian carrying the guest's hat and coat.

You both stopped and looked at them. "Naturally, we were able to handle this. We serve the Phantomhive family after all." You stated with a confident smirk.

"There is still work to be done. Let's take care of it while the master is talking business with his guest. Look sharp now." Sebastian said.

"Right!" They all cheered.

**. . .**

Both you and Sebastian walked by the kitchen and stopped as Bard was slicing off the burnt part of the meat he had charred earlier while Finny watched over the counter. "How is it going?" You asked.

"I'm doing it like you said to. This really what you want?" Bard asked as he held it up and turned to you.

"Yes, that looks excellent-"

"Sebastian! Isabella!" A voice cut Sebastian off.

You both turned to see Mey-Rin running down the hall while carrying a stack of five boxes that read "Fragile". "Found 'em!" She shouted while laughing right before tripping, causing the boxes fly in the air.

Sebastian swiftly caught two boxes with one hand while balancing a third on his foot as you caught the last two with one hand.

Mey-Rin fell right on Sebastian's chest. "Oh, honestly.." He muttered as he looked down at her. She looked up at him, her face turning bright red. "How many times have I told you not to run inside the manor, Mey-Rin?" He said in an annoyed voice. 

She quickly backed away from him into the corner. "I'm so sorry, sir. My glasses cracked and I can't see a thing!" She cried as Sebastian kicked the third box onto the tower in his hand, moving to stand next to you.

"These are the last items we needed for dinner." You stated and he nodded at you, before turning to the servants.

"Splendid work everyone, but now, I believe you can leave the rest of it to us and relax for a bit." Sebastian said with a closed-eye smile as he balanced the boxes in his hand. "...But we need you to do well-" He started. "Very Well " You added. "-During dinner tonight." Sebastian finished, still smiling.

"They said it twice." Bard commented while you both only smiled at them.

"Ooh, that's serious." Finny added while Mey-Rin continued to blush and fawn over Sebastian in the corner.

**. . .**

You walked to Ciel's study to fetch him and his guest for dinner while Sebastian stayed behind to make sure the three idio—servants don't cause any trouble.

"Pardon the interruption, but dinner is served." You announced after opening the door. They were both sitting on opposite sides of each other, playing a board game.

"Oh, dining out in an exquisite 'a stone garden. And being escorted by such a lovely maid." The Italian said with a smile as he looked at you.

You gave a fake smile, but internally gave a face of disgust. "Shall we go, my lord?" He asked as he began to stand up, but stopped when Ciel spoke.

"Very well, we'll finish the game later."

The Italian sat back in his seat. "Oh, is there any real need to finish it; it's obvious I'm 'a going to lose." He tried to reason as Ciel stood up.

"I'm not in the habit of abandoning games halfway through." Ciel stated as he began to walk towards the door.

"How childish." The Italian muttered as he glared at Ciel. Ciel stopped and looked back at him. "Uh, I-I mean 'a sometimes it takes a child's eyes to see what's really important. It's a true gift." He quickly covered up while slightly sweating.

"Maybe that's what's made the Phantomhives the nation's foremost toymakers." He continued as he stood up. "Certainly impresses me!" He exclaimed.

Ciel merely nodded while you narrowed your eyes at him, you heard him clear enough and you couldn't wait until the night came.

 ***Outside at the Dining Table***                                                                                                            

Ciel and his guest sat on opposite sides of the long rectangular table while you and Sebastian stood on either side of Mey-Rin while Bard, Finny, and Tanaka hid in the bushes. Sebastian held a cloth on his arm as he announced the dinner.

"On tonight's menu is a finely sliced raw beef Donburi, courtesy of our chef, Baldroy." He stated, when in reality it was only raw beef that Bard had sliced and layered.

"A pile of raw beef. And this is dinner?" The Italian questioned in disbelief as he stared at the bowl in front of him.

"Yes, but surely you have heard of it." You said, but he only gave you a dumb look.

"This, good sir, is a traditional Japanese delicacy. A dish offered as a sign of gratitude to someone who has accomplished important work. That is the wonder of Donburi!" Sebastian strongly and a bit over dramatically stated, leaving the Italian at a loss of words.

"This is a token from our master, to show his thanks for all your hard work on the company's behalf. He wanted you to know that he is much appreciated." You concluded with a smile on your face.

"Now that's our Sebastian and Isabella for you." Finny beamed from the bushes as he looked up at the both of you in awe.

"They saved the day." Bard added with a thumbs up.

"Ho ho ho." Tanaka quietly laughed.

"Excellent! What an inspired idea. The legendary Phantomhive hospitality in action!" He praised while Ciel continued to eat his dinner.

"The vintage we are pouring tonight was specially selected to compliment the flavor of soy sauce." Sebastian stated while gesturing to the wine on the cart Mey-Rin had.

"Mey-Rin." You called when she only stood there, smiling.

"Now, Mey-Rin." Sebastian quietly muttered.

She suddenly snapped out of her daze. "Yes, sir!"

He leaned in close to her face, causing her to turn bright red. "Why are you just standing there? Poor the man a glass of wine." He whispered.

"Of course, yes sir!" She said before grabbing the wine.

"Hey..." Bard called from the bushes.

"What?" Finny asked.

"Is it just me or is Mey-Rin acting a little strange?" He asked as he watched Mey-Rin wobble over to the table.

"Sebastian's watching me, I can't take it." She said to herself as the wine bottle shook in her hands while trying to focus on the glass. "Don't look at me that way." She said as she thought of how close his face just was to her.

She exhaled through her nose and started to pour the wine, only to miss the glass and pour it on the table.

The servants screeched. "Mey-Rin, stop it can't you see your spilling the wine?" Finny called out.

Ciel froze has he saw the liquid spread across the table. Both you and Sebastian turned once you saw the wine. Sebastian grabbed the end of the table cloth while you grabbed the bottle of wine and the Italian's glass. Sebastian swiftly pulled the table cloth from the table, not spilling any liquids or moving anything on the table as you quickly poured the wine into the guest's glass and placed it on the table.

The Italian had been oblivious to what happened as he focused on eating his dinner. He looked down and realized the table cloth was gone.

"Huh? Where did the table cloth 'a go?" He questioned as he looked at the table while the servants dragged Mey-Rin away.

"A speck of dirt, most unsightly. I had the cloth removed so it wouldn't distract us. Think nothing of it." Ciel stated, before continuing to eat while you and Sebastian stood by his side, Sebastian with the table cloth folded in his arms.

"Please accept our apologies sir. Due continue the meal at your leisure." You said as both you and Sebastian bowed your heads at him.  

"Oh-oh, my." The man said with a laugh.

"Lord Phantomhive, once again, you have truly impressed me. What able servants you've acquired."

"Pay them no mind, they only acted as befits two of my servants." Ciel said before looking down.

"My master is quite correct about that, naturally. You see we are simply one hell of a maid and butler." Sebastian stated with a slight smirk as he glanced at you in the corner of his eye. A small smirk appeared on your lips.

Ciel looked up at the two of you and huffed before looking back down.

 ***In Ciel's Study***                                                                                               
After the dinner and provided show, you were standing behind Ciel's chair due to him calling you to accompany him and his guest as they resumed their game.

"That was a thoroughly enjoyable meal, my lord." The man said as he sat down across from Ciel, who sat down in front of you as he did. "Now then, about the contract-"

"Before we discuss that, we must finish the game." Ciel cut him off. 

"A-ah, yes of course. I do have a pressing appointment. Perhaps another ti-"

"Children can be very demanding about their games." Ciel cut him off again with his eye closed, before opening it. "Surely you wouldn't want me to get upset?" Ciel said with a smirk.

The Italian clenched his jaw at him. "No, perhaps you would permit me to use your telephone?" He asked, trying to hide his anger.

Ciel looked at him before nodding with a wave. You watched him as he stood up and walked to the door.

He opened it to see Sebastian with a cart of tea. "I've brought some tea for you and my lord." Sebastian said with a smile, but the man only glared.

"I'll be right back." He said before heading off down the hall.

Sebastian looked back at him curiously, before walking into the room.

Sebastian wheeled the cart in front of Ciel and poured him a cup of tea, placing it in front of him.

Ciel picked it up, before looking at it in slight disgust. "What is this? It smells terribly weak."

"Out of consideration of our guest, I've brought some Italian tea." Sebastian stated.

"Italian?" Ciel questioned.

"Italians drink more coffee than tea sir, so finding high quality Italian tea can be difficult." You informed.

"This particular selection is not to your liking, master?" Sebastian asked.

"No, it is not. I don't like it at all." Ciel stated as he stared into the tea. You both stared at him, understanding what he meant.

"We'll see to the dessert preparations." Sebastian said as he put down the tea pot and turned to Ciel while you moved to stand next to him.

"Good. We must show him every available hospitality. The Phantomhive family is known for it's courtesy." Ciel said while looking up at the both of you knowingly with a smirk.

"Yes, my young lord." You both said as you bowed your heads. You both looked up and both yours and Sebastian's eyes were pink-slitted.

 ***Outside the Telephone Room***                                                                                                                          

You and Sebastian were hiding in the shadows of the dark hallway as you both listened in on Mr. Damiano's phone call.

"I'm 'a tired of 'a babysitting this 'a child Earl...yes, I've already sold the factory, all that's left is to pocket the extra cash, I'm trying to squeeze more out of the brat right now." He said with a laugh.

You narrowed your eyes as you clenched your fists. You looked over at Sebastian, who grinned at you. You grinned back with a nod, signaling for him to do the first move. His grin widened as he moved over to the open door in a flash.

"Employees? Who cares about them?" You didn't see what Sebastian did, but it surely caught the Italians attention, because he jumped and quickly turned around.

"...Never mind." He said as he turned back. "The rest of the formalities are for you to deal with...no, it'll be easy... Please, he's only a child." He said with a smirk.

You clenched your jaw as you felt your demon aura slowly start to show, but you held it back. _No, now is not the time._

You both skillfully hid yourselves in the shadows as he ended the call and walked down the hallway. _ **'Your move.'**_   Sebastian said in your mind.

You deviously smirked as you swiftly followed the Italian down the hall.

You watched as the man started up the main stairs. He must've felt you, because he stopped and turned to face the portrait of your previous master and his mistress.

You saw Sebastian appear through the painting, appearing as a ghostly face and turn to the man, who went wide eyed and rubbed his eyes, before looking back, but Sebastian was gone.

"Impossible. I'm 'a seeing things." He said to himself as he turned and continued walking up the stairs.

You huffed before grinning and taking a deep breath while closing your eyes. _ **'Bewitched by the eyes of the dead'** _ You echoed Ciel's voice in his head.

He stopped again, before laughing. "No, that's ridiculous." He said before walking up.

You waited until he left before coming out of the shadows as Sebastian emerged from the opposite set of stairs.

"I thought it was my move." You said as you turned to look at him.

"It was, I only took the need to assist you." He said with a smile. You narrowed your eyes at him.

"Well go on, it's your turn again." He said as he walked down the stairs. "I'll follow." He stated as he reached the bottom and stopped in front of you. You sighed before turning and following him in a blur.

You watched and waited as he opened one of the many doors. "Huh." He muttered as he realized it was the wrong room. He moved to the opposite side and opened another door. "Not here either." He continued this for three more rooms while continued to wait for the right moment.

"This manor is like a giant maze. I can't even find the drawing room." He said to himself as he walked down the hall.

You narrowed your eyes in concentration. _**'Bewitched by the eyes of the dead.'**_ You echoed again in his head as he stopped at the sight of Sebastian who appeared as Vincent, towering over him with the same ghostly face as he was quickly approaching him.

The Italian turned and broke into a sprint as he ran down the hall. "Stay away from me!" He shouted as he ran, not noticing the portrait Bard and Finny were carrying of Vincent and Rachel.

"That's odd. Was that our guest I heard just now?" Finny asked as they stopped walking.

"Hey! We need to move this or Isabella will start yelling again." Bard complained from the other side.

"Right!" Finny responded.

You smirked as you watched them continue walking and followed after the Italian who was still running.

 _ **'You lose one turn'**_ You echoed again as you walked behind him, keeping yourself hidden. He suddenly tripped and fell down the stairs while screaming in pain.

You saw Mey-Rin gasp and come running to him. "Sir, are you alright?" She asked before backing away at the sight of his broken leg. "His right leg, it's twisted round, what happened to it?" She questioned to herself.

Bard and Finny then came into the room, still carrying the large portrait. "Hey, what's wrong?" Bard asked.

"Our guest, something's happened!" Mey-Rin frantically said.

Sebastian's face once again appeared in the painting as Vincent with the same ghostly face. _ **'And now you lose one leg in the enchanted forest.'**_ You echoed in his head as Sebastian mouthed the words, making it appear as if he said them.

The Italian went wide-eyed and started to crawl away. You grinned as you disappeared in the shadows. "Sir, oh, sir...come back." Mey-Rin said as she reached out to him.

He continued to crawl down the hallway, but stopped once he came faced with two sets of legs. He looked up to see you and Sebastian leering over him with your signature creepy ass rape faces.

"Surely you're not leaving the manor yet, sir." Sebastian said as he continued to creepily stare at him.

The Italian quickly stood up and stared at the both of you in fear. "We haven't given you the full Phantomhive hospitality yet. We still have to serve dessert." You said as he got up and began to quickly crawl away, the both of you following him.

"You've lost a leg, remember? Now you can move only half the number of spaces, so why not relax a bit and make yourself at home?" Sebastian said with a close-eyed smile. He crawled away even faster and went inside the kitchen.

"Damn, It's too dark." He muttered as he tried to see in the dark. He froze at the sound of both yours and Sebastian's footsteps coming closer. He moved back and hit a hard surface. "Is this a cupboard?" He questioned as he grabbed the handle and opened it.

**. . .**

You and Sebastian stopped outside the kitchen doors and you couldn't help but grin. "You seem to be enjoying yourself." Sebastian quietly said.

You turned and looked at him. "Are you not?" You questioned with a raised eyebrow.

He looked at you and smirked. "Point well taken." He agreed before he opened the door and the both of you walked inside.

**. . .**

"Damn...these are really tight quarters." The Italian muttered from inside the box, before placing his hand down, it landing on a sticky substance. "What's this?" He questioned as he brought his hand up and sniffed it.

"It smells like sugar." He stated as the cramped box then lit up with light and a small window compartment opened up, revealing yours and Sebastian's eyes while you were both crouched down outside of it.

"What an impatient guest we have, Sebastian." You said as you stared at the man inside.

"Yes, you couldn't even restrain yourself until dessert was out of the oven." Sebastian said while staring at him as the oven started to quickly heat up.

"The-the Oven?!" He yelled in realization. "Open up, please! Open the door!" He pleaded as he banged on the door, but you both only stared at him before standing up.

"Hmmm, perhaps Italians aren't familiar with our customs." Sebastian inquired as he closed one eye and put his hand to his head. "There's plum pudding, mincemeat pie." Sebastian listed as he held his chin.

"Yes, there are many traditional desserts in England that make use of meat. We find them all quite tasty." You stated with a smirk as he stared at you with helpless, pleading eyes, but you only closed the window while staring at him with an amused face.

 _ **'Your body is burnt by the raging flames.'**_ You echoed in his head one last time as he screamed.

You smiled as you turned to Sebastian. "I'll have to leave you to the rest, I need to have a word with the young master."

He rose an eyebrow at you, before smiling. "Very well, I shall properly thank you for your assistance later then. It has been a nice change of being able to not only accomplish given tasks on my own."

"No sort of thanks is necessary, I have always rather enjoyed giving the Phantomhive hospitality." You said with a smirk before walking out of the kitchen.

You walked down the hall to Ciel's study and stopped at the already opened door as the Italian screamed. "Mamma Mia!" He screamed from outside. Ciel laughed as he still remained in his chair from earlier.

"What an unattractive scream, he sounds almost like a pig taken off to slaughter." Ciel said to himself in the dark room.

"Hm, what presumption. First, he sells the East India Company without telling me...and then he dares to ask for more money. Did he think to retain my trust..." He drifted off as he grabbed a piece of the board game and moved it to the finish.

He stared at the picture of happy townspeople with the words 'Happy Ending' before knocking over the game piece and leaning back in his chair.

"I'm afraid once something is truly lost, one can never get it back again." He stated.

"How satirical of you, my lord." You spoke up causing him to slightly jump and turn to look at you.

"Isabella...what are you doing here?" He asked as he gestured to the chair across from him. You walked over and sat down.

You looked at him before taking out an envelope and holding it up. "When her majesty sent me, she sent me with this to give to her guard dog." You said as you tossed the envelope onto the board game.

He looked at you before picking it up and opening it. He skimmed through the paper, then looked at you. "Very well, we shall take care of this in the morning." He stated and you bowed your head.

"As you wish, young master."

**. . .**

Sebastian walked down the staircase and stopped to stare at where the painting used to be. "It would appear we'll be needing to hang new wallpaper as well." He stated before turning as you entered the room from the bottom of the stairs.

You looked at the main room and imagined Ciel, still as a child, playing with his toys while Vincent and Rachel sat on the couch with Sebastian, the family dog, by them.

You walked closer and snapped your fingers, erasing the scene from your view.

"The new head of the Phantomhive Estate, eh?" You questioned with a smirk, before looking up at Sebastian and walking away.

**. . .**

You walked down the dark corridor towards your room, but stopped once you realized the hall was growing much more darker and you felt someone's presence behind you.

You smiled. "Is there something you need, Sebastian?" You asked, before you felt someone's arms wrap around your waist and turn you around, causing you to land on a firm chest.

You looked up to see Sebastian, smirking at you while you tilted your head.

"I do believe I said I would properly thank you later, my kitten." He finally said.

You narrowed your eyes at him. "And I do believe I said no sort of thanks was necessary. And please do refrain from such tedious pet names."

He grabbed your chin and lifted it up while leaning down to you. "Now, exactly what do you suspect to happen while there are two demons, one male, one female, working under one roof?" He questioned, now being dangerously close to you.

"Well I assure you it is nothing you believe will happen." You threw back.

He gave you a curious look. "Interesting...you are not like other female demons, are you? Any other female would've succumbed to me already." He said in confusion.

You murderously glared at him. "You may appear like a perfectly normal human, especially one who is able to smile, be cheerful, and be understanding, but in actuality, you are quite heartless, sadistic, and malicious. To me you are simply another demon and like all others, you will surely fail at making me your mate."

 He rose an eyebrow at you. "Is that so? Exactly how many other demons have attempted in making you their mate?"

"In all honesty, there have been far too many, mostly because my king has not allowed it." You answered.

He leaned down to your ear. "That is because they took place in his kingdom, but here you are vulnerable. Unlike all others, I will succeed, it is only a matter of time." He whispered.

"Well, we shall see about that, won't we?" You questioned before pushing him away and walking away from him.

"So be it." He stated, mostly to himself as he watched you walk down the hall.


	5. His Maid, Strongest: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My young master Ciel has another name. He's also known as the Queen's guard dog for his own in policing England's seedy underground. His small body houses great determination. You will marvel at the bravery he displays when dealing with the drug traffic in the ring. 
> 
> Also, feel free to admire my notable skills with the silver upon which I stake my honor as a Phantomhive maid.
> 
> Next time on Black Maid, "His Maid, Strongest"
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

***Knock* *Knock* *Knock***

A loud knock sounded throughout the house, followed by footsteps going towards the door as the knocking continued.

You walked to the main door and opened it, revealing several powerful guests of London, including Lau, Ran Mao, and Madam Red, Ciel's aunt, who were all associates of your previous master.

Madam Red's eyes widened as she saw you. "Good morning and welcome to the Phantomhive Estate." You greeted with a smile as you bowed your head.

"Oh my, Isabella!" Madam Red exclaimed as she ran to you and pulled you into a hug.

You froze and awkwardly patted her back. She pulled away from you and cupped your face.

"We thought you had perished." She said with tears in her eyes.

"No, I was only serving the queen in my absence. However, I have resumed my position as head maid of the Phantomhive household." You informed as you pulled away from her.

"I thought that was you." The china man, Lau, said as he walked inside with the china girl, Ran Mau, clinging to his side. "After all, there is no other who can compare to your loveliness." He said with a smile as he wrapped an arm around your waist.

You flinched at his touch before Madam Red slapped his hand away. "Get your meaty paws off of her! She has been through enough without your groping!" She shouted at him.

"As entertaining as this reunion is, perhaps we should carry on to Lord Phantomhive." A man said from the door, that you recognized as Sir Arthur.

You smiled. "Yes, of course. If you follow me, I shall escort you to my master. He is awaiting your arrival." You said, before starting to walk, the group following behind you.

"We were told that it was you that delivered the message directly from the queen, yes?" Sir Arthur questioned.

"That is correct, when her majesty sent me, she wished for me to deliver the message to her guard dog." You confirmed as you led them down the hallway.

"What exactly was the message and why would she give it to you?" The man with the large scar asked as if you were the most irrelevant and least trustworthy human on the planet.

Good thing you're not human or you might've been offended.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Vanel, but I'm afraid that is between you and my lord." You replied as you glanced at him, he glared at you and scoffed under his breath.

You reached Ciel's study and you knocked. 'Enter' You opened the door and walked in, the group following after you.

"Sir, your guests have arrived." You announced to Ciel, who had his back turned to you.

He turned around. "Finally. Isabella go assist Sebastian in the kitchen, I will not be needing you as we will be in the Billiard Room."

You bowed your head. "As you wish, master." 

You then turned, closed the door and walked down the hallway. You were close to the kitchen before a loud bang sounded and the whole manor shook.

You stopped and deeply sighed in annoyance. "What have those three imbeciles done now?" You questioned, before continuing to walk into the kitchen.

**°°°**

***In The Drawing Room***

"Your tea. We have a special Darjeeling from Fortnum and Mason today." You announced towards Ciel, Madam Red, Lau, and Ran Mao as Sebastian held up the tea pot beside you.

"Smells lovely. Tea can be excellent when made well." Lau complimented with Ran Mao sitting on his lap.

You smiled and bowed your head as Sebastian poured another cup of tea while Madam Red's butler that stood behind you both, marveled at him from afar.

"Grell." Madam Red called.

"Uh. Yes, my lady." The Butler responded after he regained himself.

"Learn something from Isabella and Sebastian." She coldly stated at him.

He frowned and looked down. "Uh, yes." 

"Just look at them. I mean, Sebastian's physique!" She awed as she unexpectedly began to rub Sebastian's ass.

Sebastian froze while Ciel's and Lau's jaws dropped, Ran Mao only stared. "You both should quit this country job and come work with me in the city." She stated with a smile as you held an amused face.

Ciel leaned forward and cleared his throat. "Madam Red.."

She blushed and removed her hand from Sebastian's ass. "Oh, sorry. I couldn't help it, it looked like it needed a physical. Just a doctor's habiiit." She sung as she awkwardly rubbed the back of her head.

Sebastian finished pouring the cup of tea and handed it to you. You took it from him while smirking and placed it on the table in front of Ciel. Sebastian glared at you, but you ignored him.

"So do you believe the drug trafficker your after was one of your guests today?" Lau questioned as he stood up.

"Perhaps." Ciel replied as he laid back in his chair.

"Why not leave the extermination to Lau?" Madam Red asked as Lau walked over to Ciel and rested his elbow on Ciel's chair. "A rat knows best where a rat's nest is, doesn't he?" She continued.

"I'm but a tame guinea pig, dedicated to my lord." Lau stated as he placed a hand on Ciel's head. "If the Earl instructs me not to act, I'm bound to do nothing." He said as he leaned down to Ciel.

Madam Red suddenly shot out of her chair and grabbed Ciel. "Watch it! You best keep your filthy paws off my darling nephew!" She roared at him while Ciel hung loosely in her arms.

"You wound me." Lau said as he stood up. "I would never paw at him in his own home, dear Madam." 

"Are you saying you would if you were elsewhere?!" She questioned, dropping Ciel. "Careful, you're on thin ice now, sir!" She yelled while pointing at him.

Both you and Sebastian turned as they continued to bicker once you noticed Ciel was gone. "Master?" Sebastian called.

"Sorry, I'm joking of course."

"You better be, I hope you understand how protective I am of my dear nephew—" They continued as you and Sebastian left the room.

You walked into the hallway to see Ciel standing in the middle while rubbing his head as the servants chased a few rats down the hallway. Finny was dressed as a Rat, as Mey-Rin held a box and Tanaka carried a net.

"Master?" You called as you both approached him. He turned around. "Today's dessert, it's a deep-dish pie prepared with fresh apples and raisins." 

"It will be ready soon, would you like to eat with your guests?" Sebastian asked.

"Bring it to my study." He said before turning away. "I'm done here." He stated as he began walking towards his study.

"Certainly, my lord." Sebastian said, placing a hand on his chest as you bowed your head.

The rats ran by you again, followed by the servants. You gave an annoyed look, before swiftly sweeping the rats off the ground in a flash, instantly killing them, and dropped them into Tanaka's net.

"That's enough of that. Stop playing and get back to work." Sebastian said as you brushed the imaginary dirt off your hands while they stood in front of you, heavily breathing.

"Sir..." They sighed.

**°°°**

***Knock* *Knock*** Sebastian knocked on Ciel's study with a cart of tea and pie in front of him.

"Young master, I've brought your pie and afternoon tea." He waited a few moments, but there was no answer.

"Master?" He called as he opened the door, but gave a surprised look to find an empty room with the furniture knocked over, the double doors open and books, pages scattered across the floor.

He gasped at the scene before him. "This is terrible...the refreshments will all be wasted now." He said as he looked down at the cart.

"And why is that?" A voice said from behind him. He turned to see you walking towards him. You froze with a look of surprise as you looked into the room. "Oh my."

**°°°**

You both walked down the hallway, passing the now empty cart while Sebastian held the pie.

"Oh dear, this is most troubling. Where could the master have been taken?" You pondered aloud as you both stopped walking.

Sebastian put a finger under his chin as he thought for a moment. "Sebastian! Isabella!"

You both turned to see Mey-Rin running down the hall (again). "I just found a letter, yes I did." She yelled as she held up a letter.

"Addressed to whom?" Sebastian asked.

"Ah, 'To the Servants of the Earl of Phantomhive'." She read as she continued running.

You heard something click from outside the window beside you.

Both you and Sebastian turned your heads to see a sniper, hiding in the bushes.

You hummed and moved back just as Mey-Rin tripped (again), pushing Sebastian out of the way as the sniper shot through the window, missing and instead hitting the vase, shattering it.

The pie went flying in the air along with the silver tray as both Sebastian and Mey-Rin landed on the floor, Mey-Rin on top of him.

You walked up and caught the dish in the palm of your hand along with the pie.

"Mey-Rin, the letter please." Sebastian said, ignoring the fact he was laying in broken shards of glass and vase with a cowering woman on his chest.

Her face was bright red as she looked up with a gasp. "Eh? Letter? Oh, yes sir!"

**°°°**

"'If you want to return your master safely, come to Nova garden Bethmal Green as soon as possible...'" Sebastian read aloud from the letter.

"Goodness, what a dreadfully written letter." You commented from next to him.

"Indeed it is." He agreed.

"Sebastian! Isabella!" Finny called as he and Bard walked up to you.

"What is going on here?" Madam Red asked as she, Lau, and Ran Mao walked up.

"Sorry for the noise my lady. We assure you nothing is wrong. Please don't concern yourself." You said with a smile as Sebastian folded up the letter and put it in his pocket.

They all looked at the shattered window. "Humph, nothing, are you sure?" Madam Red questioned.

"Everyone, we have business to attend to." Sebastian said as he turned to the servants.

"Would you mine cleaning this up?" You asked, handing Bard the pie as you and Sebastian walked away.

"Um. So, when you say clean uh... that means we can eat it, right?" He asked with a grin as he turned around, but you were both already gone. "...Isabella? ...Sebastian?"

**°°°**

"Sorry, I missed!" The Sniper said on the phone as he and another man drove away from the manor on the dirt road.

 _ **'What do you mean you missed? You are complete idiots! Never should have hired-a scum like you. Just get back here.'**_ His boss yelled over the phone.

The sniper looked back at the cloud of dirt behind them, noticing two faint figures in the distance. "Um, sir, something is off. I see something." He said with fear in his voice as the dark figures grew closer and closer.

**°°°**

_**'What's that!'** _ Their boss heard through the phone while he leaned against his desk.

"Oh, what's-a wrong? You little girl see a bear in the woods?" He taunted, but was cut off by him screaming. "What is it? Did someone fined you? Talk to me." The boss demanded.

 _ **'Ahhhh! Hurry it up!'**_  

**°°°**

They turned a sharp corner and slammed their foot on the gas, but the figures only grew closer, now more visible with grins on their faces. "They're coming, closer." He said, fear clear in his voice.

**°°°**

Both you and Sebastian continued running at an inhuman speed with matching sadistic grins plastered on your faces.

**°°°**

"That's it! I'd have enough of your games already." Their boss yelled, now getting angry.

 _ **'No good, they're here! Aghhhhh!'** _ Both their screams erupted and filled the ear of their boss.

"Uh, hello? What's happened?" He questioned.

Ciel laughed as he lied on the floor, bloodied and bruised while tied up.

"That's too bad. Sounds like your little game of fetch is over." He said, earning another kick to the stomach followed by a punch and kicks to the back. "Ugh!" He groaned.

"Just shut your mouth, you damn brat!" He yelled as he kicked him. He finished and picked the phone back up.

"You listen to me! If one of you don't answer right now, I swear I will kill you!" He threatened.

 _ **'Hello.'**_ You casually greeted through static.

_**'Pardon us, but we represent the Phantomhive estate. We were wondering if our master might be available.'** _

Silence.

 **'Hello, is anyone there? Hello?'** You asked once he didn't respond. He went to speak, but no words came out.

"Woof." Ciel barked as he faced the wall.

**°°°**

"Very good, young master. We will come to get you momentarily." You said as you held the phone, before grabbing the cord to the phone and pulling it out.

"Thank you for the use of your field telephone. And now there are few things I'd like to ask you about, if that's all right. First, we'd like to know who you work for." Sebastian said as you both were kneeling on the hood of the car as it was balancing on the edge of a cliff, Sebastian still carrying the silver tray for some reason.

They both only stared at you in fear.

"Hurry up now. He's not exactly what you would call a patient man. And you do remember what happened to the Humpty-Dumpty, don't you?" You said as you glanced at the ground below.

"Ah, our employer's name is Azzurro Vanel. He has a hideout up in the city. It's in the East End." One of them frantically said.

You both gave a closed-eyed smile at them and stood up, so you were standing on the hood.

"We just work for him!" The guy said in desperation.

"But of course, we understand." You said.

"We our very sorry to have interrupted your work. We'll let you go now." Sebastian said with a bow.

"Have a safe trip." You said as you both jumped off the hood and landed on the ground.

You tossed them the phone, the guy catching it as the car tipped over.

You both stared at them as the car went over the cliff, disappearing.

You both turned around and you took out your pocket watch. "Oh dear, look at how late it's gotten." You said just as the car exploded from behind you, but you paid no mind to it and put your pocket watch away.

"If we don't move quickly, we shall never have dinner ready in time." Sebastian said and you both walked away.

**°°°**

"Listen up, the Phantomhive boy has help on the way!" Vanel yelled at his guards. "Move it! Tighten at the gate! Not so much as a single rat gets through!" He ordered as hundreds of men went around the mansion, men on the balconies, men in the grand entrance, and men outside, all armed with guns and oblivious to you and Sebastian who stood behind them at the bottom of the steps.

"My, my, what a splendid home." Sebastian commented as you both looked up at the large mansion.

The men turned around and looked at you in confusion. "Hey, who the hell are these guys?" One of them said. You both turned around, only to be met with guns being pointed at you.

"Ah, our apologies. You see... we represent the Phantomhive household." You said with a devious look as you placed your hand on your stomach.

_Meanwhile..._

***Phantomhive Kitchen***

"Oh dear, we need Sebastian and Isabella here... Where did they go now?" Mey-Rin pondered as she rested her head on the edge of the table.

"I wish I knew..." Finny said as he also rested his chin on the edge of the table.

"I don't care where they are right now or what they're doin'." Bard said, also resting his head, before standing up and slamming his hands on the table.

"This is all I'm worried about. Does 'clean it up' mean we can eat the pie or not?! I have to knooow" He cried as he placed his hands on his head.

"I'm sure just one bite each would be okay." Finny said.

"No, Finny! You know how they are! If we eat something we're not supposed to, they'll bake us into their next pie!" Bard shouted at Finny.

"You need to calm yourself down, Baldroy. A soothing drink might help. Here, give this a try!" Mey-Rin said as she stood up and slammed a bottle of milk on he table.

"Milk... not that it's gonna help me." Bard muttered as he crossed his arms.

"Milk is an important part of your diet! It'll help you grow strong bones, yes it will!" Mey-Rin yelled back.

_Back to the servants of hell..._

You stood next to Sebastian, gazing at the scene of all the guards that were outside, dead, or severely injured and on the verge of death.

You heard a whimper and looked to your right to see a guard, shocked as he stared at the gruesome scene. "Oh, yes. I almost forgot about you." You said as you approached him.

He grabbed his gun and pointed it at you, but you knocked it out of his hand and twisted his arm, hearing a loud *Snap*

"My arm! She shattered the bone!" He cried as he held his broken arm and backed away from you.

"Now, I would be grateful if I were you, I could've done much worse as you can see." You said as you gestured to the many other victims, but he continued to scream in pain.

"Pardon us, but we're in a bit of a hurry." Sebastian said as he took out his pocket watch. "5:34." 

**°°°**

Sebastian turned the knob to one of the large wooden doors and opened it, the both of you stepping inside.

It was a rather lovely interior and normally you would've admired it, however the men above you had other ideas and started to pelt you both with more bullets.

Sebastian quickly covered the both of you, using the tray as a shield. "Now I understand why you brought it." You said as you faced him.

"Yes, the tools a servant has can be very useful in more then one way." He said as he continued to block the bullets.

You both then moved and ran on opposite sides. Sebastian used the tray as a disk and threw it at the men, hitting a whole row of them. You jumped up and swooped up all the plates on the table, tossing some to Sebastian and kneeling down on the table as he jumped up and joined you. You both rapidly tossed plate by plate at the men, taking them out one by one.

"Move, damn it! Call in the boys in the west tower! We need to rip this broad and bastard apart!" One of them called to the men who ran.

"An entire swarm of rats...We'll get nowhere at this rate." You said with a sigh as you looked down at your pocket watch.

**°°°**

"That's it! I'm goin' to eat it!" Bard announced as Mey-Rin drank the milk and Finny still kept his head on the table.

"Mey-Rin, tea! Finny, go get the silver!" He ordered.

"Sir, yes sir!" They saluted.

Finny opened the silverware drawer. "It should be right in here. What the?" He said as he stared into the empty drawer.

"Is something wrong?" Bard asked as he and Mey-Rin gazed at it.

"I don't understand. The silver supposed to be here, but I don't see a single knife or fork!" He stated.

**°°°**

***Vanel's Manor***

  
Sebastian suddenly slid multiple butter knives from his sleeves into his hands. You rose an eyebrow at him. "Sebastian, is that our silver?"

He only smiled at you.

"Very well, then." You then released several hidden kitchen forks that slid down your fingers.

He gave you an amused look. "Well I couldn't let you have all the fun." You said before you both jumped up high and flung the utensils at the men, straight in the forehead.

"Who the hell are they?!" One guy questioned before getting hit with one of your forks.

"Now, now, if we couldn't do this much at least... then what kind of maid and butler would we be?" Sebastian said as you both soared down from the air with looks of pure amusement.

**. . .**

The dead, lifeless bodies of Vanel's men who had been previously attempting to kill you were scattered all throughout the room. You looked over the scene as you and Sebastian hung upside down from the large Chandelier.

"Oh dear..." He said as he crossed his arms.

"That took longer than expected." You stated as you looked at him.

"Yes..." He said with a sigh before you both released your grip and dropped down, landing on the ground and standing up.

He took out his pocket watch and looked at it. "Already 5:43" 


	6. His Maid, Strongest: 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are you certain you are prepared for what is about to happen? Some may find this...very unsettling. Then again, if you've managed to read this far, you must be an expert in this. You must really like demons, violence, and dramatic mystery.
> 
> That or you just really wanna see some action with Sebastian.
> 
> Either way, if you dare to continue, you shall soon be satisfied.

Vanel's hand shook of fear and anxiousness as he held a gun in his hand, aiming it at the door as two sets of footsteps echoed on the other side of it. Slowly coming closer and closer until...

They suddenly stopped, making Vanel's breath hitch before the doors opened, revealing you and Sebastian. You both walked forward and bowed. "We have come to retrieve our master." Sebastian announced.

"Is this a joke? I was expecting a giant and instead I got-a some scrawny dandy in a tailcoat and some-a broad in gloves and stockings. Who are you anyway? There's no way your just a maid and butler." He said, still holding the gun towards the both of you.

"No, sir. You see, we are simply one hell of a maid and butler... I promise." You said with a smile.

"Yea, sure. It does not matter anyway, I have no intention of fighting either of you. Not yet..." He said before reaching down and grabbing Ciel, who had still been lying sideways, facing the wall, by the hair and putting the gun to his head. "But you better have what I asked for!" He threatened.

"Yes I do. It's right here." Sebastian said as he pulled out the key to the storehouse, right before the sound of a gunshot rung.

Your eyes went wide as you felt a large pressure from your right ear and go through your head.

Ciel gasped right before several more bullets went through both you and Sebastian, with the painting that was beside you showing several men.

Your bodies fell with a ***thump*** as Ciel only stared, mostly at you since it was the second time he's watched you _'die'_.

Vanel laughed. "Oh sorry, broad and dandy. I really am, but this round is mine!" He stated. "There's no way I was going up against the Phantomhive, lord of the games, without a trump card hidden." He said as the men walked over to your bodies.

"I damaged the goods a little bit, but that's all right. I'm sure you'll fetch a pretty price even in this condition." He said as he slipped off Ciel's eye patch with the barrel of the gun. "Don't worry, you have so many enemies. I doubt you'll be alive for that much longer." He said as he tapped Ciel's chin with the weapon.

"All right, I'm tired of messing around." Ciel said, causing Vanel to look at him in surprise.

"How much longer are you both planning to play dead?" He asked.

"Not long." You answered as your hands twitched.

"But how?! How are you...! You just...!" Vanel stuttered. His men backed up in fear as you both bent your legs and slowly began to rise up.

"Guns today are so much more efficient than they used to be..." Sebastian said as you both rose up.

"Yes, they can shoot so many more bullets now." You said as you threw your heads back then spit the bullets out. You stared at the blood covered bullets in your hand before looking up at the men who shot you. "Perhaps you'd like these back." You said with a grin.

Vanel's eyes went wide. "What are you doing?! Kill them!" He shouted at them.

They drew their guns, but before they could fire, you both swiftly threw them back at them in the chest. Their bodies landed on the ground as you examined yourself.

Vanel froze and released his grip on Ciel's hair.

"Oh, how dreadful. I mostly favored these stockings." You said as you looked down at your now ripped and shredded stockings.

"Oh dear, what an awful thing to do to a perfectly good tailcoat." Sebastian said as he examined his tailcoat that was now full of holes.

"You could have avoided that, idiots." Ciel said in annoyance.

"Master, how unfortunate, they don't seem to have taken very good care of you." You said before you both started walking towards them.

"No, stay back!" Vanel yelled, but you ignored him.

"You look like a helpless little child all bound up like that. But then I guess that's appropriate." Sebastian stated as you continued to walk.

"I-lf you come any closer, I will shoot him!" Vanel stuttered and you both stopped.

"Can we move this along? His breath smells awful." Ciel complained.

"But if we come any closer, he might kill you." You said with a slight laugh.

"Well then, are you saying you both want to break your contracts?" Ciel questioned.

"No, of course not." You said.

"Nothing has changed; We remain your faithful servants, lord." Sebastian stated as he placed his hand over his heart.

"What the hell kind of-a nonsense are you three talking about?!" Vanel shouted in confusion.

"Master, you know what you have to do... Now just say the words." Sebastian said as he used two fingers to tilt his head, his hair covering his left eye.

Ciel opened his left eye, then his right, revealing his contract mark. "This is an order. Save me now!" Ciel ordered, his mark glowing brightly.

"No, it's over!" Vanel shouted as he pulled the trigger.

He stared at Ciel, who turned his head to look at him. "What the... But that's impossible...!" He said as he looked forward, to see only you standing before him with an emotionless face.

"Are you looking for this?" Sebastian said as he held the bullet over Vanel's heart. "Here then, let me give it back to you." He said before dropping it in his breast pocket. Vanel's right arm suddenly twisted and he fell back in pain.

You walked over and wrapped your arms around him, picking him up off the ground. "I must say, the game wasn't as much fun this time." Ciel said as you held him in your arms. You walked over and sat him on a chair with Sebastian following you.

"No, wait, come back! Work for me! Be my bodyguards and I will pay you both ten times what he does. All right then, twenty times! Dandy, you can have all the liquor and-a women you want and Broad, you can have as much-a jewels and diamonds as you want, too!" He ranted on as you knelt down and tore the belts that bound Ciel.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Vanel, it's an attractive offer, but we have no interest in such materialistic things." You said as you dropped the belts on the floor.

"And I am certain you cannot offer what I like. There is only a specific breed of woman that can keep me satisfied." Sebastian added as he looked at you.

You gave him an annoyed look before standing.

"You see..." He started.

"We are simply..." You continued as you both faced him.

"One hell of a maid and butler." You both said in sync as both yours and Sebastian's eyes slitted and glowed pink.

"Ah... right, okay..." He choked out.

The dark, shadowy silhouettes of your fallen feathers began to fall to the bottom of both of your feet, until it built up and darkness began to surround the room, both your eyes' still glowing.

"As long as my master holds the contract, I am his loyal servant." Sebastian said as Ciel sat in the chair with his head in his hand.

Sebastian took off his white glove with his teeth and placed his right hand over his right eye, showing his black nails and contract mark. "A wish, a sacrifice, and this... all of these things keep me bound to Lord Phantomhive. Until the day I swallow his soul." He explained.

"And as long as my former master's soul remains untainted and unharmed, I shall be Ciel's faithful and trustworthy servant until death." You informed as your eyes still glowed.

"Unfortunately for you, this game is over." Ciel stated with you and Sebastian now standing on either side of him with smiles on your faces as the darkness closed in around him.

**. . .**

***Outside the Phantomhive Manor***

You and Sebastian were walking through the woods towards the manor, with you carrying Ciel as he had fallen asleep in your arms.

You looked down at him, then back up to see Sebastian staring at you. "Is there something on your mind, Sebastian?"

"Is it true that your former master's soul has not yet been consumed?" He asked.

You were silent for a moment. "Yes." You responded.

"Then I am curious as to how you are here. I'm sure Lucifer is not pleased."

"He doesn't know. He believes I have started a new contract." You replied.

"You, his favorite pet, lied and deceived him?" He questioned in surprise. You remained silent. "I'm impressed. Now if that is so, what soul did you give him then?" 

You looked away for a moment. "My master's beloved. Rachel Phantomhive's."

He gave another look of surprise. You looked back up at him. "You'd be quite surprised at how easily a tragic past can mold a person. Either joyous or bitter, they make very tasty meals...it was the only way I could continue my contract and fulfill my master's orders." You stated as you looked back down at Ciel's sleeping form.

Ciel then opened his eye and looked at the manor as you approached it and slightly gasped. "You are awake, master?" You said. He looked up at you and Sebastian, then back at the manor with a frown.

Mey-Rin and Finny then came out of the manor. "Master! Welcome home, sir!" Finny said as they ran to him and you both stopped walking.

"Oh, dear!" Mey-Rin exclaimed.

"Master Ciel, you're injured!" Finny said as they looked up at him in worry.

"I just tripped and fell. It's nothing to worry about." Ciel simply said, but they continued to stare at him with smiles plastered on their faces. "What, you don't believe what your master tells you?"

"Oh no, we do." Mey-Rin said.

"It's just... you look so cute, being held like a baby and all..." Finny said, making Ciel's eye widened in embarrassment.

"Put. Me. Down!" He demanded as he glared at you. You slightly smiled and did as he said.

"Stop looking at me like that, honestly!" He yelled at them with a slight blush on his cheeks as they continued to beam at him.

"Master..." Sebastian said, causing Ciel to turn and look at him as he got down on one knee and bowed his head.

"I'm so terribly sorry. I've committed a blunder unacceptable for a Phantomhive butler. How could I ever atone...? I hang my head in shame." Ciel looked at you in curiosity, but you were as oblivious as he was.

"Dinner is not ready." Sebastian finished making Ciel scoff.

"Oh stop being so dramatic." He stated in annoyance.

"Yes, there is no need for that, Sebastian." You said and they both looked at you in curiosity. You turned as you saw Tanaka walk up from the manor. "Is it ready, Tanaka?"

"Ho. Ho Ho" He laughed with a nod and you smiled.

"Good. Master, the table is set and dinner awaits you." You said as you turned to him.

He gave you a look of confusion. "And how is that?" He asked as he placed a hand on his hip.

"Before your departure, Tanaka had insisted on preparing tonight's dinner." You informed.

"Very well." He said with a sigh as he turned and walked towards the manor with the servants following him.

You smiled."Yes...if I couldn't do this much, then what kind of maid would I be?"  
****~~~~


	7. His Maid, Omnipotent: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the suggestion of Lady Elizabeth, Master Ciel's betrothed, we will be holding a ball. Unfortunately, my young master cannot dance to save his life. His attempts are so pathetic that calling in a dancing master would be too embarrassing. Huh... It seems as if I shall have to rid my lord of his two left feet myself.
> 
> Next time on Black Maid: "His Maid, Omnipotent."
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

You had just finished serving the table with the servants watching you intently as you did so since you had yelled at them that if they even thought about moving to help, they would only succeed in destroying the entire room only a few minutes earlier.

You turned as Ciel and Sebastian entered the room. "Good morning, young master. Breakfast is served." You greeted while gesturing to the table, already set with food.

Ciel hummed in response as he moved over to his seat. Sebastian pulled out his chair for him as you suddenly heard a noise coming from the hall, or more specifically, a scream.

"Nooooooooooooooo! Oh dear, oh dear oh dear. Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

"What?" The servants pondered as they looked at the double doors, seconds later the doors flew open, revealing Grell lying on a cart, coming straight towards Finny who yelled and closed his eyes, waiting for impact.

After a few seconds of nothing happening, he opened his eyes to see you standing in front of him, with one hand on the cart and one hand holding Grell by the collar.

You set him down on the floor and turned to him. "Grell, due try to be more careful, you could have injured someone." You scolded.

"Oh, my, I am ashamed of my-" He didn't finish as he accidentally knocked the tea off the table and onto Finny's shirt.

"Ah! Hot! Hot, hot, hot, hot!" He yelled as he danced around the room.

Grell gasped. "Oh! I'm so, so sorry! I'll wipe it off!" He said as he grabbed the napkin on the table, only to completely bring down the entire table cloth, along with the breakfast Ciel had started to eat.

You all looked at him as he quickly stood up. "Ah! Ah!" He yelled.

Ciel sighed as Bard went over to him. "Master, why did you agree to take in such a useless idjit?" He whispered.

"You're one to talk, Bard." Ciel replied before sighing again. "It didn't seem like such a bad idea..."

 _Flashback.._ _._

_"Oh, Ciel darling, I have a problem. Grell is hopelessly incompetent. Could you do me a tiny favor and have Sebastian train him to be a decent butler?" Madam Red sweetly asked Ciel with a smile. "Can't refuse your favorite aunt, can you?" She said as she blew him a kiss._

_Now...._

Ciel heavily sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I thought Sebastian would be the only one inconvenienced. I never expected that I would be affected by it as well..."

"Ho ho ho." Tanaka laughed in the background.

The servants all murderously glared at Grell, who was kneeling on the floor. "I'm so sorry for causing all this trouble...I simply don't know how I can apologize enough."

"Wait, that's it!" He suddenly perked up. "The only thing I can do now is die! I shall atone with my death!" He exclaimed as he suddenly pulled out a dagger from out of nowhere and angled it to his neck.

"Whoa, calm down a second!" Bard yelled.

"Um, should we take the knife away?" Mey-Rin asked just as Sebastian came up and placed a hand on Grell's shoulder.

"There is no need for that." He said, before removing his hand as Grell turned around and looked at him.

"Just think of the horrible mess you would make." Sebastian said with a smile.

"Yes, it would take hours to clean up all of the blood." You stated as you walked up to stand next to him.

"Thank you Sebastian, you're so very kind..." Grell beamed up at Sebastian.

"That was Kindness?" Bard asked Finny and Mey-Rin, who shook their heads.

"Now what I'd like to know is how you could ever think it was acceptable to serve the master such weak tea." Sebastian said as he examined the pot of tea Grell had. "Watch me, a spoonful for each person and one more for the pot. Finally, add half a pint of boiling water and let it steep until dark." Sebastian demonstrated while the servants all took notes and Grell only stared at him in awe.

You took out your pocket watch and looked at the time as Sebastian served Ciel his tea.

"Master, are you ready? It is almost time. I have the carriage waiting for you in the front drive now." You said to Ciel.

"Fine." He replied.

"As for the rest of you, I want this place absolutely spotless, understand?" You said as you turned to the servants who straightened up and nodded.

"Yes, ma'am!" They saluted.

"Grell, perhaps you should just sit there and relax so you don't cause any more trouble." Sebastian suggested before turning to follow you and Ciel, but you stopped and turned back.

"Oh, and if you do decide to seek your eternal rest, please see to it outside, would you? And try not make too big a mess." You politely asked.

Grell only smiled. "What generosity... What great kindness..."

You rose a quizzical eyebrow at him. "Huh."

**. . .**

***London's Public Grounds***

"Get your paper here! All the latest news! Prostitute mysteriously murdered!" The paper boy shouted as he passed out the newspapers while you and Sebastian followed Ciel down the street.

Ciel opened the door to a shop and stepped inside, you and Sebastian behind him. "Mm? Oh hello, boy. Did your father send you for something?" The shop owner asked from behind the desk as you all approached him. Ciel gave him a look of annoyance.

"Actually, he's here on his own business." You stated as you took out a piece of paper and handed it to the man. "We need to pick this up."

He looked at it for a second. "Oh, you're here for that walking stick." He said as he turned around. "I was wondering who'd have a use for one as short as this." He opened a drawer and took out the cane. "Naturally." He said as he handed it to Sebastian. "I didn't think a chil—"

Sebastian suddenly pointed the walking stick in the man's face, which made him freeze.

"Straight as an arrow. A magnificent stick, indeed, good sir." Sebastian said as the man's jaw dropped.

You dropped a bag of money on the counter and you all walked out of the store. "Keep the change. Good day." You said before shutting the door behind you and you all walked down the busy hall, missing the man fainting and dropping on the floor.

"That ridiculous strength of Finny's is a menace. How could someone accidentally break a walking stick? It's a pain to special-order a new one." Ciel complained.

"Certainly, what a pity to go to all that trouble. You haven't even had a growth spurt in years." Sebastian said with a smirk. Ciel gave him a look while you snickered.

"And speaking of trouble, I don't know how well Grell is going to work out. We shouldn't stay away for too long." You stated as you walked by a woman and a little boy, who were looking through a window.

"Look, Mama, it's the brand-new rabbit toy from Funtom, see!" He beamed as he pointed at a toy rabbit. You glanced at them, then Ciel, who ignored them.

**. . .**

***Phantomhive Manor***

The carriage pulled up to a stop in front of the manor. Sebastian was the first to step out, helping Ciel down after he did, before he held his hand out to you with a smile.

You ignored it and stepped down to walk after Ciel.

Sebastian looked after you and sighed, closing the door, before following after you.

"I'm sure you're tired, master. I'll prepare tea for you immediately." Sebastian said as he opened the door. Ciel stepped inside, but suddenly froze up, his jaw dropping.

"What's the matter?" You asked as you and Sebastian looked in, only to also freeze up with looks of surprise.

Your eyes widened at the manor that was now covered with ribbons, glitter, cut-out hearts, and stuffed animals, but most of all, **pink!**

"My mansion...!" Ciel exclaimed as you and Sebastian walked in after him with the door shutting behind you.

"What happened to this place?" Sebastian questioned.

"Why, it's a disaster!" You exclaimed as you looked around in horror and complete distaste.

The Salon doors suddenly opened and the three servants all ran out, Finny wearing bunny ears and Bard wearing a bib and headdress. "Sebastian! Isabella!" They all yelled as they ran to you and Sebastian.

Bard grabbed Sebastian by the collar while Finny and Mey-Rin huddled beneath you and clung to your legs like children, begging their mom to not make them go to school.

"What is going on here?" You questioned as you looked down at them.

"And why on Earth are you all dressed like lunatics?" Sebastian questioned as he stared at Bard.

"She's crazy! Crazy...!" Bard exclaimed with wide eyes as he pointed at the salon.

"Who's crazy?" Ciel asked just as you all heard sounds of strained choking coming from the indicated room.

You, Sebastian, and Ciel peered into the Salon room and walked inside, it also looking as if a group of unicorns had migrated and decided to take over the manor, except for Grell who was hanging by the neck in the center of the room with two large yellow bows on, one as a tie and one on his head.

"What are you doing now?!" Ciel demanded.

"At the moment, I believe I'm in the process of dying, Master Ciel..." Grell choked out.

Ciel sighed. "Get him down, Sebastian."

"Yes, sir." Sebastian replied as he walked over to Grell and reached up to grab him just as a figure ran passed him.

"Ciel!" It yelled, knocking Grell to the side like a piñata.

You knew that voice. It was the voice of Lady Elizabeth, Ciel's cousin.

She tackled him into a hug, causing his cane to fall out of his hand and his hat to fly off his head. "Ciel, you're back! I missed you so much!" She exclaimed as she rubbed his head.

"Elizabeth! What a surprise!" Ciel said in complete surprise.

She pulled away and smiled at him. "Aw, how many times do I have to tell you? Call me 'Lizzie'!" She said before crushing him in another hug.

"Oh, you really are just the cutest thing ever, aren't you darling boy! I could just eat you! Ah!" She exclaimed before she stopped, noticing you.

She gasped and released Ciel, making him slightly stumble.

"Isabella!" She yelled as she now tackled you in a hug. "You're alive! I can't believe you're here! I've missed you so much!" She exclaimed as she held a tight grip on your waist.

You smiled and patted her head. "And oh, how I've missed you, Lady Elizabeth." You replied as Sebastian walked up, now holding Grell by the collar.

"Lady Elizabeth." He greeted as she let go of you and turned to him.

"Oh, hello, Sebastian. How are you?" She greeted with a curtsy.

She then looked down at Grell. "Aww, you took him down?" She said in disappointment.

"Yes. He detracted from the beauty of the room." Sebastian stated with a smile.

"But I made such a lovely decoration out of him!" She whined.

"A decoration?" You questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes! Just look at it all, isn't the salon so cute now?" She exclaimed with outstretched arms.

"My mansion... It's so pink..." Ciel groaned.

"From now on only the cutest things belong in the Phantomhive manor! Don't you agree, Antoinette?" She asked with a giggle.

You all looked to the right to see Tanaka wearing a curly blonde wig. "Ho ho ho." He laughed.

"Oh, and Tanaka..." You stated with a small smile.

"And I have a present for you, too." Lizzy said as she turned to Sebastian.

"Ah?" He asked as he turned to her.

"Here." She placed a large, pink baby bonnet on his head.

The servants held in laughs, even you had a look of amusement and gave a quiet laugh.

Sebastian glared at you and the servants making them freeze, but you only smirked. "My, how adorable you look, Sebastian." You stated.

He continued to glare at you as she spoke. "You're always dressed in black. I thought this would be a nice change! What do you think, hm?"

He turned to her with a large fake smile. "I am deeply honored that you went to so much trouble for a humble servant. Your generosity overwhelms me." He stated while placing a hand over his heart.

"Happy to help!" She said with a smile, before turning to you. "And I have the perfect gift for you that you will look so cute in!" She beamed.

You smiled. "I cannot wait to be bestowed with such a gift."

"In any event, Lizzie, what are you doing here? Auntie didn't let you come alone." Ciel inquired as he tried to keep a good distance from her.

"I sneaked away because I wanted to see you, silly!" She said as she walked over and grabbed his hands, before pulling him in for another hug.

"You sneaked away?! Don't you think you'll get into trouble?" Ciel questioned.

"Er, Isabella, who is this girl?" Grell asked from beside you as he adjusted his glasses.

"She is the daughter of the Marquess of Scotney, her full Christian name is Lady Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford of Scotney."

"Scotney? Ethel Elizabeth Cordelia..." Grell tried to repeat, but trailed off in failure.

"She is actually my young master's betrothed for several years." You informed.

"Ah, his fiancée, yes of course..." Grell said with a smile before freezing in realization.

"Master..." Bard began.

"...Marrying..." Finny continued.

"...Her?!" Mey-Rin finished.

"Lady Elizabeth is of nobility, after all. She is the daughter of a marquess. Nobles marry other nobles, that is how it works." Sebastian stated from beside you.

"Oh, I know! Now that the manor is decorated so prettily, why don't we have a ball tonight?"

Everyone grimaced at Lizzy's idea.

"You can be my escort and we'll dance around all night long! Isn't that a wonderful idea?" Lizzy exclaimed as she grabbed Ciel's hands and twirled him around.

"A ball? No!" Ciel refused.

"You'll wear the clothes I picked out for you, won't you? Pretty please! They'll be so cute on you!" Lizzy begged with a wide smile.

"Listen, I don't want to—"

"Oh, Isabella, you can were my gift for tonight. Oh how pretty you'll be!" She cut Ciel off as she grabbed your hands.

"And of course I'll be dressed to the nines as well!" She then walked up to Grell and grabbed him by the rope around his neck. "You come with me, I want to make you even cuter than you already are!" She exclaimed before running out of the room, dragging Grell as he screeched for help behind her.

"Wait, I said no ball!" Ciel yelled as the doors shut behind her.


	8. His Maid, Omnipotent: 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time has come for Lady Elizabeth's grand ball and the young master does not seem too thrilled with being forced to perform the acts any gentlemen should.
> 
> Sebastian appears to not be a teacher he would prefer to be taught by. Perhaps I should lend my knowledge and skills on the subject.

Ciel sat behind his desk with his arms crossed, his head resting on them as Sebastian wheeled in a cart of tea and Orchard fruit cake while you stood off beside Ciel's desk.

Ciel sighed in frustration. "I believe the wisest course of action is to go along with her plan. I don't think she is going to listen to reason." Sebastian said as he poured Ciel's cup of tea.

Ciel lifted his head and rested his chin in his hand. "Can't you just give her some tea or something and get her out of here? I don't have time for a stupid ball." He stated as Sebastian walked over and placed the cup of tea in front of him.

"My lord, Lady Elizabeth would like a dance, you know you cannot refuse her." You said as you walked to stand next to Sebastian.

Ciel picked up the cup and looked at you, before looking away in thought. You and Sebastian looked at each other. "Master?" You called.

"What now?" He questioned in annoyance.

"I know I've never seen you dance before, but I assume that you can." You said.

 He didn't reply, he only grabbed the stack of papers beside him and held them up in front of his face.

You sighed. "Oh, I see..."

"Well, that explains why you're always such a wallflower at social engagements." Sebastian said as he cut a piece of the fruit cake and placed it on a plate.

"I have too much work to do. I don't have time to waste on dancing." Ciel stated from behind the papers.

Sebastian took the papers out of Ciel's hand and got close to his face, still holding the plate of cake. "With all due respect, dancing is a necessary skill for a person of your position to possess. In your line of work, master, social contracts are important to maintain." Ciel looked away from him.

"The world expects any noble gentlemen to possess at least rudimentary dance skills." You added, now next to Ciel and also close to his face. "If you turn down too many invitations simply because you cannot dance, your reputation in high society will suffer greatly." You lectured.

"Fine, I'll do it! Now both of you stop the lecture." Ciel said, defeated. "Call in a private tutor or something. Mrs. Bright or Mrs. Rodkin should work well enough..." He said as he took the plate of cake from Sebastian.

"We don't have sufficient time to call in a tutor for you, my lord." Sebastian said as he checked his pocket watch.

"How unfortunate. That leaves us only one option." You said.

"Indeed. With your permission, I will be your dance instructor." Sebastian stated with a smile.

"Don't be ridiculous! I'm not going to take dancing instruction from a man!" Ciel shouted while banging his fists on the desk. "Besides, do you even know how to dance?"

"The Viennese waltz is my specialty. I was a guest at Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna from time to time." Sebastian stated.

"Viennese, Peruvian and Valse are mostly my areas of expertise. I have danced them with many gentlemen." You added on.

"Well then, why don't you be my dance instructor?" Ciel suggested, gesturing to you.

 "I would be honored to teach you, my lord. However, I'm afraid I am needed elsewhere."

"What do you mean you are needed elsewhere?" Ciel questioned.

"Lady Elizabeth wishes to bestow me a gift and has requested me to come to her room by-" You stopped as you checked your pocket watch. "Oh, goodness. Now." You closed it and put it away.

"I shall return later to see how much progress you've gotten." You said as you walked to the door.

Ciel opened his mouth, but nothing came out as you exited the room.

"Now if you would do me the honor, my lady. May I have this dance?" Sebastian said as he outstretched his hand to Ciel.

**. . .**

You stood beside Lizzie in the room you had provided for her as Mey-Rin dressed her.

"Oh, I simply cannot wait for tonight. Ciel will look so cute!" She exclaimed just as a knock came from her door. 

Mey-Rin opened the door a crack, then closed it, turning around and carrying a large dress bag. "It's here!" Lizzie shouted as she grabbed the bag from Mey-Rin and placed it on the bed.

She opened it and took out a Satin blue Ball Gown that had a black bottom and a blue patterned corset top along with matching blue glass drop earrings, a silver plated crystal and velvet blue choker, gold pearls, a blue hair bow, white elbow-length gloves and black molded-heel pumps.

You looked over the items and smirked that you actually had something you could wear in public.

Lizzie squealed and held the dress up to you. "Ooh, now go on and get dressed! We don't want to keep our men waiting." She said as she turned back to the mirror, letting Mey-Rin tie her corset.

You rose an eyebrow at her. "Pardon me, my lady, but what other man are you referring to?" You questioned.

She giggled and looked at you. "Why Sebastian, of course!" Your eyes widened.

She giggled again. "Come on Isabella, it's no secret of how he constantly looks at you." She stated before whimpering by the tightening of the corset.

You sighed and turned around, dropping the dress on your bed.

You unbuttoned your shirt and slipped it off your shoulders. You untied your boots and stepped out of them, before unzipping your skirt, shimming out of it. You placed your clothes on your bed, so you were now only in your red corset, matching garter belt, black stockings, and your maid gloves.

You glanced behind you at Lizzie, who was still wincing in pain, then quickly removed your gloves, removing your ring and replacing them with the white elbow gloves, placing the ring back on.

You grabbed the dress and slipped into it, pulling it up to your chest. You tied the front and tightened the strings on the back as you stepped into the black pumps and grabbed the choker, tying it around your neck. You finished by twisting the pearls around your wrist and putting on the earrings.

You then turned around to see Lizzie's dress being draped onto her. It was a red, long-sleeved dress with multiple red and pink bows.

She smiled and turned to look at you. She gasped and took your hands.

"You look amazing! Now, normally I would have dressed you with something more like what the others are wearing, but...Isabella, you have always been there for Ciel and I am giving you this gift, because I knew you would absolutely love it!" She exclaimed with a smile.

You smiled down at her. "My dear Lady Elizabeth, you have a kind heart and a good soul, I thank you for your gift." You stated. She smiled, then frowned.

"What is it?" You asked.

"We need to do some touch ups." She said before she grabbed your arm and dragged you into the bathroom.

She stopped and looked down at your red ring. "Oh, this doesn't match your dress at all! I have something better!" She said as she reached for your ring, but was stopped by you grabbing her wrist.

She looked up at you curiously. "Lady Elizabeth, I prefer if you do not. It was a gift from...my father, it is the last thing I have of him."

There's no shame in lying, right? It's not like she could bare the truth behind the ring.

She sadly smiled. "Oh, I understand. I'm sorry, Isabella."

"That is quite alright." You replied.

"Now, let's make you even prettier than you already are!"

**. . .**

After Lizzie had curled your hair and put it in a half up-do topping it off with a large blue bow, applied dark eyeshadow and dark red lipstick to your face along with a surprise of being covered in glitter, you were now walking back towards Ciel's study.

You stopped at Ciel's door and slightly opened it, stopping as you saw Sebastian pinching Ciel's cheek.

"Most importantly, you need to wipe that gloomy look off of your face. The lady will take it as an insult." He said as he attempted to stretch Ciel's face into a smile.

"Now, let's have a smile. Pretend it's fun." He said with a smile, just before Ciel suddenly slapped his hand away.

"Let me go!" He yelled.

"Master..." Sebastian said in surprise.

"I can't smile... I forgot how..." Ciel said as he turned away while rubbing his father's ring with his thumb. "I don't know how to pretend like I'm having fun... not anymore." He muttered as Sebastian only stared at him.

You watched them before walking inside, causing them both to turn and look at you.

Ciel's eye widened as he saw you while Sebastian gave an unreadable face and only stared. "Isabella, you look actually pleasant. I expected something more like that of what a lunatic would wear." He said with a smirk.

"Perks of being a lady, my lord." You replied, before frowning.

"You cannot simply forget how to smile and have fun. You can only give up on your own happiness." You stated. 

Sebastian looked over at Ciel, who looked away.

You smiled and walked over to stand in front of him. "The Ciel Phantomhive I know, does not give up, not that easily." You grabbed his hand and placed it on your waist, pulling him closer to you.

"When you hold a lady, they expect you to have a firm grip, to assure them that you will not let go." You said as you placed one hand on his shoulder and the other in his hand.

"Now, when the music begins, if it may be difficult for you to simply follow the steps, then you must create your own." You began to move, until he accidently stepped on your foot.

He stopped and sighed in frustration. "But how?"

"The melody is your ally, simply let the music guide you." You stated before starting to hum a song.

He stumbled at first, but then began to move to the sound of the song. He managed to lead and perform a natural turn, he even got brave and twirled you.

You stopped humming and he stopped dancing. You smiled at him and broke away. "Excellent. Lady Elizabeth will be very pleased, master."

He huffed. "She better be."

Sebastian stepped forward and pulled out his pocket watch. "Sir, perhaps we should get you dressed, it will begin soon." He stated.

"Fine." Ciel replied as he walked to the door.

"Isabella, would you like to join us?" Sebastian asked with a smirk.

Ciel froze and turned around. "Sebastian!" He yelled with a blush on his cheeks.

"There is no need to be uncomfortable, my lord. It was I who dressed you for the entirety of your life, after all." You said with a smirk.

Ciel cleared his throat, his blush disappearing. "I shall join the servants and Lady Elizabeth downstairs." You stated, before walking out the door.

**. . .**

You gracefully walked down the main staircase, catching the sight of the servants. They gaped at you as you reached the bottom and walked up to them.

You tilted your head at them as Finny wore a large maid's dress, a bell and cat ears.

Bard wore a pink sailor outfit and hat, along with a red curly wig.

Tanaka wore a purple kimono, a long, black wig, a golden tiara and a handheld fan.

And Grell wore a baby blue long-sleeved poufy and very girly dress with multiple bows and a blue bow headband. 

You had an amused smile as you looked them over. Mey-Rin managed to stay safe from Lizzy as she tied a red ribbon with pink flowers on her.

"Oh, Isabella, have you seen Ciel yet?" Lizzie asked.

"He is dressing as we speak, my lady." You replied.

Grell stared at you, before turning to a mirror, looking over his outfit. "How... awful! This is the most humiliating outfit ever!" He exclaimed.

"I think you're going to have to make peace with it." Bard said as he patted Grell's shoulder.

"This dress... it's atrocious, so white and girly and frilly..." He said, before kneeling on the ground as if he were praying. "If I have to dress up, why can't it be in a sexy shade of red with a waistline that would flatter my figure?" Grell questioned.

"That's your problem with it?!" Bard said in disbelief.

Grell looked back at the rest of you. "I can't live with a shame as deep as this...No! I'd rather die!" He stated as he ran to the window, opening it and preparing to jump while you all only watched him.

Grell stopped and looked back at you. "Err... y-you aren't going to try to stop me this time?" He asked.

"Well, there wouldn't be that much of a mess to clean up." You stated as you all stared at him.

"Blue is definitely Ciel's color! It will look so good on him! You should see the clothes I found. I got them today in London, they're great! He'll look dashing!" Lizzie beamed as Mey-Rin finished tying her headband. Mey-Rin stepped back as Lizzie turned to face her.

"Now, time to get you dressed up. I'll make you look so adorable!" She said as she went to grab Mey-Rin's glasses. Mey-Rin gasped and quickly backed away from her.

"I'm really farsighted, I can't see anything without my glasses, my lady!" She exclaimed.

"You don't have to see the ball to have fun. Now hand those over, silly!" Lizzie said as she went to grab her glasses again.

"No, no, no! Please!" She begged as she tried to keep her glasses on.

"Just leave her alone." A voice boomed.

You all looked up to see Ciel, wearing a blue outfit with a matching blue hat, ribbons draping from it, Sebastian behind him while holding his cane.

 "Ciel! You look adorable!" She squealed as she ran to him. "That outfit is absolutely perfect!" She exclaimed as she grabbed him and twirled him around. She suddenly stopped as she looked down at his ring, her face turning cold.

"Ciel, why aren't you wearing the ring I brought you? It matches your clothing perfectly, now where did it go?" She demanded as she now scowled at him.

"The ring I already have on will work." He simply said as he pulled out of her grasp.

"No! I went to so much trouble and that ring isn't cute at all!" She ranted.

She dropped to the floor and began to cry. "Oh, why wouldn't you wear the ring that I picked out specially for you?! You're so cruel! I just want everything to be perfect for our lovely—"

"That's not it. Lizzie, this ring is—" Ciel tried to explain as Lizzie suddenly perked up.

"Ha! Fooled you!" She grinned as she swiftly stole the ring off Ciel's finger.

"It's mine now!" She exclaimed as she held it up.

"Lizzie!" Ciel warned.

"This is far too big for you! The one I bought will fit perfectly. Just put it on, and..."

"Give it back!"

The servants all gasped while you and Sebastian only watched. "Give me that ring, now, Elizabeth." Ciel demanded as he held his hand out.

 "Wh-Why are you so angry at me? I just... wanted..." She stuttered, but he only glared at her. "What's wrong...? I just wanted to make everything look adorable, that's all...So why... why are you so angry?!" She questioned in hurt and confusion.

"I hate this ring! Take it!" She yelled as she threw the ring down on the ground. The sound of the ring shattering lingered in the air.

You watched in shock while Ciel's eye widened. He ran towards her in anger.

She cowered and fell to the floor as Ciel raised his hand to slap her, until Sebastian caught his hand mid-air. Ciel looked back at him in surprise.

"Master...You forgot the walking stick we went to so much trouble to get." He stated as he placed the walking stick in Ciel's hand.

Ciel relaxed and was heavily breathing as you walked past him and up to Lizzie, who was now standing up, crying her eyes out.

"Forgive my master, Lady Elizabeth, but that ring was something very important to him. It's a precious heirloom passed down to the head of the Phantomhive family. He's grown quite attached to it; it's truly one-of-a-kind. Please try to understand why this upset him." You stated as you placed your hand on your stomach.

 She stopped crying and looked up at you. "I-It was that important... and I just destroyed it?" She questioned as Ciel picked up the shattered ring and looked at it, before walking away.

"Oh Ciel, please, I..." She tried to apologize, but he kept on walking to the window, before suddenly throwing it out the window. The servants all looked at him in shock.

"Ciel, wait, what are you doing?!" She questioned as she ran to the window.

"It doesn't matter. It was nothing but an old ring after all." He simply said, before walking to the center of the room.

"Even without it... I'm still the head of the Phantomhives, and that won't change!" He strongly stated. Everyone's eyes widened, including yours and Sebastian's.

You all stared at him, before you and Sebastian smiled. You turned to Sebastian and whispered into his ear. He smirked at you and nodded.

"How long are you going to cry?" Ciel asked as he walked up to Lizzie, who was still crying.

"I-I'm so sorry..." She sniffled.

"Your face is a mess, completely unsuitable for a lady." He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her face.

"How could I possibly ask a lady with a runny nose and puffy eyes to dance?" He questioned with a smirk.

She stopped and looked up at him. "To dance?"

The sounds of violins playing began to fill the air. Everyone turned to see you and Sebastian on the grand staircase, playing a flawless violin melody. The servants all gasped at the both of you.

"They're incredible!" Mey-Rin exclaimed.

"They both play the violin. Is there anything they can't do?" Finny questioned.

"Ah, I'll join them!" Grell stated as he ran to the bottom of the stairs. He took a deep breath and began to sing to the music, really well, like an opera singer. The servants gasped in surprise.

"What the hell?! He can actually sing?!" Bard stated in surprise.

Lizzie stared at the three of you, until Ciel extended his hand to her. "So then, we are agreed? We'll forget our cares and dance the night away. It's decided." He stated.

A huge smile spread across her face. "Yes!" She said as she took his hand.

. . .

You continued to play as you watched Ciel lead Lizzie in a flawless dance. The both of them happily smiling.

You smiled warmly at them, until you saw Sebastian stop playing and put the violin down.

You eyed him curiously as he walked up to you and outstretched his hand. "Will you do me the honor, Isabella?" He asked.

You stared at him, before looking down at Tanaka, who was beside you. "Tanaka, would you mind carrying on?" You asked.

"Ho ho ho" He laughed as he took the violin from you and began to play.

You looked back at Sebastian and took his hand. "Lead the way." You responded.

He smiled and lead you down the stairs, before gripping your waist and pulling you close, a little too close, in fact. "Now, don't get too excited, Sebastian." You said with a smirk. He smirked back as he began to lead you across the dance floor.

**. . .**

You carried Lizzie out of the manor with everyone following after you. She smiled as she was asleep in your arms while you walked to her carriage.

Sebastian opened the door and you stepped inside, laying her across the seat and placing a blanket on top of her. Sebastian helped you out of the carriage as Grell shut the door.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure she gets home safely. You can count on me." Grell said.

"Are you sure?" Bard questioned.

"Indeed. I'm more deadly efficient than I appear." He stated as he put his hand on his chest.

You curiously eyed him as he walked up to Sebastian. "Thank you so much, Sebastian." He said as he hugged him. Sebastian went stiff as he pulled away and grabbed his hands.

"I'm in your debt, you've taught a lot about what it means to be a butler!" He exclaimed. Sebastian only pulled his hands away.

"They say that before a person dies, his life flashes before him. And I know that when I see the light of death, this momentous evening is what will appear to me in my dying vision." He stated with a smile.

You rose an eyebrow at him. "Humph, interesting that you would say that." You said.

"That's true. He hasn't been very good at dying so far, has he?" Mey-Rin said.

"Hohohoho..." Tanaka laughed.

**. . .**

You stood in Ciel's room as Sebastian finished dressing Ciel for bed.

"It's finally over... What a horrible day it's been..." Ciel said with a sigh.

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself for a while there, my lord." Sebastian said as he stood up next to you.

"Don't be so foolish." Ciel muttered as he rubbed his finger, realizing his ring wasn't there.

"Am I the fool here?" Sebastian questioned as he looked down at him. Ciel didn't respond.

You knelt down to him. "We know the importance of this ring. And yet you put on that act for Lady Elizabeth..." You stated as you covered his hands, before removing them, revealing his father's ring. Ciel slightly gasped and looked up at you and Sebastian.

"If we couldn't do this much for our master, then what kind of maid and Butler would we be?" You said as you looked up at him.

"But you should take care. It is precious, this ring. It has seen so much." You stated.

"That is true... It's always there." Ciel said. "This ring has seen the deaths of many masters. My grandfather, my father, and eventually the ring will witness my own death as well." He continued as you untied his eyepatch and placed it on the side table.

 "It's heard the dying screams of the Phantomhive family for generation upon generation. When I close my eyes, I hear them too... voices echoing in my head..." He stated as he held his head, before bringing his knees up to his chest and hugging them. "'If I throw the ring away, I won't have to listen to them screaming anymore.'At least that's what I believed. Ridiculous, yes?" He said with a humorless laugh as you stood up.

You both stared at him, before Sebastian looked out the window. "My, look how high the moon has risen." He said as Ciel layed down. "You must get some rest, sir. Don't want to make yourself ill, do you?" Sebastian said as he pulled the sheets over Ciel.

Sebastian grabbed the candelabra from the table and you both walked towards the door. "Isabella. Sebastian. Stay with me until I fall asleep." Ciel said as he was turned away from you. You both stopped and turned around.

"Goodness... are you displaying weakness in front of us now?" Sebastian said with a smirk.

"Just a simple order." He replied, not looking at you.

You both smiled at each other, before walking on either side of the bed. "We will stay." Sebastian said.

"We're by your side forever, master. Until the end..." You finished as you watched him fall asleep.

**. . .**

You both walked out of Ciel's room. Sebastian shut the door and you both stopped.

_Flashback..._

_"I'm still the head of the Phantomhives, and that won't change!"_

_"Stay with me."_

Sebastian put his face in his hand, before looking at you with a devilish grin. You grinned back and you both quietly laughed.

"Now... we must prepare for tomorrow." You stated as you both walked down the dark hallway, only lit being the flames of the candelabra.


	9. His Maid, Capricious: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mysterious prostitute murders are getting out of hand. Unfortunately, in order to solve them, my master might have to do something of which he is not quite at ease. 
> 
> Now, now, my lord, don't be shy. You look quite fetching in a dress. Remember, it's for a good cause after all. Besides, it's pretty comfortable.
> 
> Next time on Black Maid: "His Maid, Capricious."
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid. 

You sat across from Ciel in the carriage while Sebastian drove down the streets of London. You stared at him as he looked at a letter the queen had sent him.

He glanced up at you and noticed you were staring. "What?" He asked.

There was a pause before you spoke.

"I must say, my lord, I still have much time before I will be accustomed to serving my new master." You stated with a small smile.

He looked down in thought. "I don't see why you should. As you have said, you have been present since my birth." He responded, without looking at you. Your smile dropped. "You have always been my servant, nothing has changed." He said as he looked out the window.

"Yes, master." You said just as the carriage stopped in front of Ciel's Villa.

Sebastian opened the door and helped Ciel out first, then you. "I hate this. There are too many people in London." Ciel said as he walked up the steps with you and Sebastian following him.

"There is no helping it, my lord." Sebastian replied as he opened the door for Ciel and you, closing it behind him. "It's tradition for the nobility to migrate en masse to town from the country every Season." He stated as Ciel began to climb the stairs.

"The Season, eh? A waste of time, if you ask me." Ciel said while rounding the stairs.

"Getting away from the manor could prove a nice change of pace. It's a break from those four, at least." You said as you thought of the servants who cause more chaos than they do work.

"We can enjoy a little peace and quiet for a time." You said with a smile.

"Some peace and quiet does sound nice." Ciel replied as you all reached the top of the stairs.

Sebastian opened the door, only to find the entire room ransacked by Madam Red, Lau, and Grell.

"Goodness's sake! Where do they keep the tea in this house?" Madam Red questioned while looking through a bookcase, throwing out another book onto the growing pile.

"I can't find it either..." Lau replied while looking inside a vase.

Ciel gave an annoyed look while you and Sebastian smiled. _So much for peace and quiet._

"Don't be silly! Of course it's not in there. Oh!" Madam red exclaimed in frustration.

"Madam Red?! Lau?! Why are you here?!" Ciel shouted.

Madam Red looked away from the case and at the three of you. "Ciel, you're early, dear." Madam Red greeted as Lau stood up and Grell looked back at you.

"Your sudden appearance here in town must mean..." Lau began.

"The Queen's guard dog has a new scent to follow." Madam Red finished. Ciel looked at them in boredom.

**. . .**

You and Sebastian stood behind Ciel's chair after you had served the tea and platter of pastries.

"He struck again, another prostitute was found gruesomely murdered in Whitechapel. These killings are far from normal. The level of violence we're seeing is unprecedented." Ciel stated.

"The most recent victim was a woman named Mary Ann Nichols. It appears a special type of blade was used on her. She was torn up beyond recognition." Sebastian spoke as Ciel took a bite of the pear and blackberry cornmeal cake.

"The murderer's distinctive style of killing has earned him a unique nickname from the press: 'Jack the Ripper'." You stated.

"A frightening name, eh?" Lau said.

"That's why I'm here earlier than expected. I hurried into town to look into the situation for myself." Ciel said.

Lau placed his tea cup on the table and smiled. "But are you sure you'll be brave enough to stomach the crime scene?" Lau questioned.

"What do you mean by that?" Ciel asked.

"The sight of the dismembered body will certainly be horrific." Lau said as he stood up. "And one can only imagine the stench. Blood and gore everywhere. Surely it would be more than enough to drive some men mad." He stated as he walked over to Ciel.

"Are you prepared to see such a thing? You're just a young boy after all." He said as he touched Ciel's cheek.

"I am the head of the Phantomhives in service to my Queen. Don't ask foolish questions." Ciel coldly stated while you and Sebastian both watched Lau.

"You're right. So sorry." He replied with a smile.

**. . .**

After you had all arrived at the crime scene, Grell, Lau, and Madam Red had stayed within the crowd of people that had formed around it while you and Sebastian followed behind Ciel up to one of the officers that was reading the victim's files.

"Sorry, my boy. I'm afraid a crime scene like this is no place for a child. Now why don't you just run along home?" He said with a smile, before going back to reading the papers.

"I'm here to see the victim's body." Ciel replied.

"The body?!" He questioned in surprise."Surely you're kidding me!"

"Abberline!" A voice called from behind him.

"Well, if it isn't Lord Phantomhive? What are you doing here?" Sir Arthur asked as he walked up to Ciel.

"You know this kid, sir?" Abberline asked.

"I'm here to help, Sir Arthur. Seems your investigation is dragging a bit." Ciel said with a shrug, before pulling out the Queen's letter and holding it up. "You know who sent me, of course."

Arthur gave an annoyed look as Ciel grabbed the papers from Abberline and looked them over. "It seems you haven't found any major clues yet." Ciel stated, before Arthur grabbed the papers from Ciel.

"We at Scotland Yard are more than capable of handling this case, I assure you. There's no need for you to interfere." He said, clearly irritated by Ciel.

Ciel smiled at him. "Splendid. Shall we go, Sebastian, Isabella?" Ciel said while walking away.

"Yes, sir." You both replied as you walked behind him.

Madam Red hummed as you, Sebastian, and Ciel walked by them. "Now what, dear?" She asked as her, Grell, and Lau followed behind.

"Now we go see someone who may prove useful." Ciel replied.

You instantly smiled, since you knew who he was talking about.

"My lord! You mean..." Lau exclaimed.

"Yes, indeed." Ciel replied.

**. . .**

"So, where are we?" Lau asked as you all stood outside of a funeral parlor.

"You don't know?! Then what was all that about?!" Madam red questioned.

"It's a funeral parlor run by an acquaintance of my lord's. On many occasions before, I had traveled with my previous master to obtain information from him." You stated with a smile.

"Why do you look so happy?" Ciel questioned.

"No matter the current situation, he always finds a way to make me smile." You answered.

Ciel gave you a weird look while Madam Red, Lau, and Grell gazed up at the sign that read 'Undertaker'. "'The Undertaker'?" Madam Red read.

Sebastian opened the door, allowing Ciel, you, Madam Red, Lau, and Grell to enter. "If we're looking for answers, this is the place." Ciel stated as Sebastian shut the door and you all walked to the center of the room.

A deep, gravely laugh echoed throughout the room. "Welcome. I thought I'd be seeing you before long." A voice said, making you smile and Grell cower in fear.

You all looked to the right at one of the many coffins as a pale hand with black long nails came out and slowly pushed the coffin door open.

"My lord, it's so lovely to see you." The person behind the door said as their green eyes glowed against their scarred face that was covered by their silver hair.

"Do I finally have the pleasure of fitting you for one of me coffins today?" Undertaker asked with a smile as Madam Red, Lau, and Grell gaped at him in fear.

"No, that isn't why I am here... I wanted to—" Undertaker's gasp cut Ciel off as he ran to you and pulled you into a hug.

"Oh, my dear Isabella, seeing you after all these years...it brings a smile to my face." Undertaker said with a grin as he stroked your black hair.

"How refreshing it is to see you as well, Unnie." You replied as you hugged him back.

"Unnie?" Sebastian questioned while Undertaker laughed.

You have grown to like Undertaker, and even trust him. He knew what you were and always welcomed you with open arms. He trusted you to a point where you were the only one who knew his secret.

"It's been so long since you've called me that." He said while pulling away from you.

"Undertaker, I—" Ciel began again but stopped once Undertaker placed his hand over his mouth.

"No need to say, I'm already aware. Very well aware." He said as he bit one of his long nails. "One of my recent customers was a bit unusual, shall we say. I helped though, I made her look beautiful again." He proudly grinned.

"I would like the details, please." Ciel said.

"I see now, so the funeral parlor is only your cover business. How much is it for information?" Lau asked.

Undertaker's smile dropped as he suddenly got up in Lau's face, making him lean back.

"I have no need for the Queen's coins, there's only one thing I want from you!" He exclaimed, his smile returning as he then turned to Ciel.

"Please, my lord, give it to me and I'll tell you anything!" He beamed as he now stood in front of Ciel.

"Give me the extraordinary gift of true laughter! Just one joke and all the information is yours!" He exclaimed with a grin.

"Lunatic..." Ciel muttered as Undertaker held his arms and rocked back and forth, still grinning.

"Leave it to me, my lord." Lau spoke up, causing everyone to look at him. "Here is my joke. It's a classic. On which side does a tiger have the most stripes? On the outside!"

Everyone only stared at him. "Get it? Haha? Haha..." He stopped, realizing no one was laughing.

"My turn." Madam Red said as she stepped forward. "I live for gossip, so this story will make you laugh so hard you'll simply curl up and die." She said with a smile.

"So Alice's beau gave her the most extraordinary [CENSORED] for her birthday." You quickly covered Ciel's ears. He looked up at you questioningly, but you only smiled at him.

"It was [CENSORED] wide and so [CENSORED] with thick veins running down the [CENSORED]" Undertaker covered her mouth with his hand.

"Goodness me, that will be quite enough." He said, before walking up to Ciel as you uncovered his ears. "Now, my lord, it looks like you're the only one left. I gave you a special discount last time, but I'm not gonna do it again."

Ciel scowled at him, until Sebastian stepped forward. "It can't be helped."

Ciel looked up at him. "Sebastian?"

Undertaker snickered. "Hmph! it's a lovely offer, butler, but I would prefer the payment by Isabella." He said as he took your hands. "It's been so long since I've had the joy of hearing your jokes, so would you allow me to have my time in my heavenly utopia once again, deary?"

You bowed your head. "Very well." You said as you took your hands back from him. "Everyone please wait outside." You said while you pulled down the black gloves that covered your white ones. You looked back at them with a serious and very intimidating look. "No matter what happens, do not attempt to listen to this."

Everyone besides Ciel and Sebastian shivered under your hard gaze. "Make it quick." Ciel said as Sebastian opened the door, allowing everyone to exit.

He looked back at Undertaker, who was grinning in anticipation and narrowed his eyes at him before closing the door behind him.

**. . .**

It was silent as everyone stood outside, waiting on you. After a few seconds, the entire building shook as Undertaker's laughter animated from it, causing the sign on the building to fall off.

Once the laughter died down, the door opened to reveal you, smiling. "Please do come back in now. I believe he will tell us everything we want to know."

Everyone peered inside and walked back in to see Undertaker, faced down on a coffin, widely grinning. "Oh my... I've again seen the face of ultimate bliss..." He muttered.

**. . .**

Ciel, Lau, and Madam Red all sat on coffins while holding beakers that had been filled with tea while you, Sebastian and Grell stood behind your masters.

"An interesting pattern I'm seeing these days. I often get customers who are incomplete." Undertaker said as he stood in front of some shelves, next to a manikin of the human body.

"Incomplete?" You questioned as he grabbed the mannequin and stroked it's head.

"Yes... the uterus is missing, which is quite odd." He replied, making everyone slightly gasp.

He turned the manikin around and looked at it from the front. "The killer makes a big mess of the body, but that particular part is always precisely excised."

"He did it on a road that was public, though not high traffic. Wouldn't an amateur have a difficult time carrying out such a complicated procedure quickly enough?" Sebastian questioned as Undertaker put down the manikin.

"You're a clever one, butler. That is exactly what I was thinking." He said as he turned around, before walking over to you.

He placed his arm around your shoulders and looked at Ciel. "You see, first he slits her throat with a sharp weapon-" He said while indicating as if he was slicing your throat."-then he rips into it right here... " He moved his hand over your stomach. "-and takes that precious womanly part." He finished while poking your cheek with his nail.

Sebastian glared at him as he backed away and turned to the others.

"There will be more slain, I'm certain. Sadistic killers like this one don't stop until someone makes them." He stated as he walked back towards the manikin. He stopped and turned to face Ciel. "Will you stop him? Can you sniff him out, like a good little guard dog?" He teased.

"I'm bound by the honor of my family. I will eliminate any threat the Queen asks me to... by any means I find necessary." Ciel stated. You looked at him with an amused expression and smirked.

**. . .**

***In the Carriage***

You sat in between Sebastian and Lau with Ciel and Madam Red across from you while Grell drove.

"His information narrows down our suspects." Ciel said.

"First of all, we look at those with the necessary skill set. Crossing out anyone with an alibi for the nights on which the murders occurred." You stated.

Sebastian hummed. "Removal of the organs would suggest some kind of gruesome ritual. We should concentrate our investigation on people involved with secret societies."

"As if that narrows the field! Why, even I would have the medical skills necessary for this!" Madam Red disagreed. "Besides which, the Season is ending soon. Any doctors who followed the nobles to the city will be returning to the country, and then what-"

"Then we'll have to conclude the investigation quickly." Sebastian cut her off with a smile.

"Impossible." Lau said in disbelief.

"We should be able to do this much at least. Otherwise, what kind of maid and butler would we be?" Sebastian said while putting his hand on his heart.

Ciel smirked while Madam Red and Lau gave looks of surprise. "We'll make up a list of viable suspects and begin questioning them for you immediately, my lord." You stated as you leaned forward to his face with a smile.

Sebastian opened the door and you both stood up, facing them. "Now, if you'll excuse us..." You said as Ciel only waved you off, before you both jumped off the carriage, with the door shutting.

Madam Red and Lau gasped, quickly looking out the window. "They know that we're moving, right?!" Madam Red questioned in shock as they looked out, but you were both nowhere in sight.

"Isabella and Sebastian will take care of it for now. We can head home and have a cup of tea while we wait." Ciel simply said while resting his chin in his hand.

**. . .**

Once they had all arrived back at the Villa, Lau opened the door, and they all stared in shock at the sight of you and Sebastian bowing towards them.

"Welcome back, everyone. We have awaited your return." You greeted with a smile, before you both stood up.

"Your afternoon tea is ready for you in the drawing room." Sebastian stated as Ciel handed him his hat and walked inside.

"Hold on! How are you both here?!" Madam Red questioned as Ciel continued on and started to climb the stairs.

"We finished up that little errand, so we made our way home to edify you." Sebastian answered as you both turned to them.

"You made the suspect list already?" She questioned with wide eyes.

"Well...Yes, we made a list of names based on what we had discussed, and then we contacted them all then we asked them the relevant questions." You simply said as you both pulled out three scrolls.

"Come now, Isabella, that's impossible even for the both of you." Madam Red said, unconvinced.

You both sliced open the scrolls and Sebastian began to read off. "Richard Oswald, doctor of the Duke of Bailey was at the White Horse pub with his friends. He has no connection to secret societies."

"Madam Heavitt, surgeon at the Royal London Central Hospital was at the Stipple Inn. She has no connection to secret societies." You read after him.

"William Somerset, doctor to the Earl Chambers was at a party hosted by the Viscount Harwood. From this information, we have narrowed down our list to one possible suspect." Sebastian finished as the scrolls fell to the ground.

Ciel looked at you both with a smirk while Madam Red and Grell stared at you both in awe. "Are you certain you're just a maid and butler? Not some secret military intelligence officers?" Madam Red questioned.

"See, my lady, we are simply one hell of a maid and butler." You said with a smile.


	10. His Maid, Capricious: 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Viscount's ball has approached us. With only two young "women" within this investigation, it leaves the question who will capture the Viscount's attention...and how exactly will they keep him interested?

_Ciel's grunts and moans echoed throughout the room along with the sound of stretching as he clenched his fists against the door._

_"S-Sebastian!" Ciel panted as sweat ran down his face._

_"Please hold on a little longer, sir. You can do it." Sebastian coached as he stood behind him. Ciel groaned and gasped as he threw his head back._

_"That's it, you're going to kill me!" He shouted._

_"I doubt any woman has ever been killed by a corset alone." You stated from the door as Sebastian pulled the strings tightly again, earning another grunt from Ciel._

_"Besides, you should be grateful that you do not have to endure this on a daily basis like most women." You said before there was a knock on the door._

_You walked over and opened it, revealing Grell and Madam Red. "Isabella! Just the person I wanted to see!" She exclaimed with a smile._

_"Oh? You wish to see me, my lady?"_

_"Yes, we—" She was cut off as Ciel did another cry of pain._

_"Ciel, darling, you might wanna spread your legs and clench, it might be a while!" She called out._

_"Now, as I was saying, we need to get you ready for the Viscount's ball!" She grabbed your arm and pulled you out of the room. "You will look so beautiful in red, I just know it, it is definitely your color!"_

_Now..._

_[http://www.polyvore.com/black_maid/set?.embedder=19599660&.src=share_desktop&.svc=pinterest&id=203310994](http://www.polyvore.com/black_maid/set?.embedder=19599660&.src=share_desktop&.svc=pinterest&id=203310994) _

After Madam Red had forced you into a dark red sweetheart Sunvary luxurious dress with red ruffles across the top of the bottom, red ruffled ankle boots, black elbow gloves, a red and golden tassel choker and matching red lipstick, you all rode in the carriage on the way to the Viscount's ball.

Just like before, you sat in between Sebastian and Lau while Ciel and Madam Red sat across from you with Grell driving.

You couldn't stop smiling in amusement at Ciel as he wore a flowy pink dress with black ribbons, a matching hat and a black wig of pigtails. Who knew he would make such a pretty girl.

"The Viscount Druitt, also known as Aleister Chambers...He graduated from medical school, but has never gone into practice." Sebastian stated as he adjusted the glasses he wore as a disguise.

"Lately he's thrown several parties at his home. But behind the scenes at these same soirees are secret gatherings that only his intimates may attend." You added as the carriage neared his estate.

"I've heard that he's into black magic and those occult sorts of things." Madam Red said.

"So your suspicion is that he's holding these parties to perform ritualistic sacrifices of local prostitutes?" Lau questioned.

"Tonight is the last party of the Season." Ciel stated as the carriage stopped and the door opened, one of his servants helping Ciel down. "Which means this is our last chance." He finished as he crossed his arms.

**. . .**

Once inside the manor, amongst the crowd of people, you stood in between Ciel and Sebastian. "Ciel will be my niece visiting from the country, Isabella will be Ciel's governess and Sebastian will be Ciel's tutor." Madam Red stated as you placed your hand on your hip and Sebastian adjusted his glasses with a smirk.

"And just why do I have to act like your niece?!" Ciel complained.

"Because, dear, I've always wanted a girl." She simply said with a smile  
"You're kidding me!" He snapped.

"You don't want them to know you're a Phantomhive now, do you?" She whispered as she leaned into him. "Besides, I've heard that Lord Druitt has an eye for any pretty little thing in a skirt, both you and Isabella have that advantage and we do want to catch his eye, right?"

You watched Ciel's face go red and smirked. " _'By any means necessary',_ you do remember saying that, do you not, sir?" You questioned.

He turned his head and glared at you, but he looked so cute that it only made you chuckle.

**. . .**

"First thing's first, we need to locate this murderous viscount." Sebastian stated as you, him, and Ciel walked around the party through the crowd of people who talked amongst each other.

"At least Elizabeth isn't here. I would never want her seeing me like this..." Ciel muttered.

"Oh, that dress is so adorable!" You heard a squeaky high pitched voice say from behind you.

You all froze and turned to see Lizzy talking to a group of girls. "I adore all the dresses here! They're lovely!" She exclaimed with a smile.

"Se-S-S-Is-I-I..." Ciel stuttered out.

"Sir... er, I mean, mistress, please calm down. Let's move quickly..." You quietly said as you all turned and went to walk, but froze.

"Oh! You two in the pink and red, your dresses are just beautiful!"

Sebastian put his arms around both your shoulders' and pushed you both forward. "Moving this way now." He muttered as he pushed you both to hide beside a table with a large cake.

You watched her approach, so you stood up. "Isabella! What are you doing?" Ciel whispered.

"Distraction, my lady." You simply said before walking in front of the table and turning your back as Lizzie approached.

"There you are!" She exclaimed and you turned around with a giggle. She gasped. "Isabella? You look so beautiful!" She said with smile.

"But where is your friend?" She asked as she looked behind you.

You quickly blocked her view. "She is quite a social person, my lady, and has gone to get to know the fellow guests." You said with a smile as you began to walk away with her and lead her away from Ciel and Sebastian.

"This isn't good. I didn't expect her here..." Sebastian muttered as they saw you both walk away.

"If someone was to see the head of my family dressed this way..." Ciel thought.

"The Phantomhive name would be ruined for generations." Sebastian finished.

Ciel's eye widened as he looked back at Sebastian. "Let's go join Madam Red."

**. . .**

"Isabella, why are you here? I would expect you to be with Ciel." She said before gasping. "Is he here?" She smiled.

"No, I'm afraid not. I was invited as a guest by Madam Red." You stated as you both stopped walking.

She suddenly squealed and gasped. "There!" She yelled as she pointed behind you. You turned around to see Sebastian grabbing Ciel and pulling him away as Lizzie ran after them.

"My lady!" You called, but she kept running. You were about to follow her, until a group of women approached you.

Damn, the one time you had to socialize with humanity.

"Oh, good evening. I am Lady Sophia Van Prier, this is Lady Anastacia, and Lady Eleanora, and who might you be?" One of the women asked you.

"Good Evening, my ladies, I am Isabella Brieris, hea-um, governess of Lady Celeste Blackwood." You stated with a bow.

"What a pleasure to meet you, Isabella, I must say, that is a lovely gown you are wearing." Lady Eleanora said.

"How kind of you." You said with a smile.

"So, tell us, have you seen the Viscount? Lord Druitt looks as gorgeous as ever tonight. His hair shines like the sun!" Lady Anastacia exclaimed, very loudly in fact as she stared at a man with blonde hair who was dressed in white.

He turned around for you to see his purple eyes with him holding a glass of champagne. You smirked, realizing he was the Viscount as he locked eyes with you.

Music began to play and flood the room with men and women beginning to dance across it.

You turned away as you saw a man with white hair and grey eyes approach the four of you.

The women blushed as he outstretched a hand to you. "Pardon me, but will you give me the honor of this dance, my lady?"

You smiled and looked back up at the Viscount, who was now staring at the both of you before taking his hand. "I would love to."

He wrapped his arm around your waist and began to lead you across the dance floor and he was quite good as he glided through the many other dancers. "Now, as lovely as you are, perhaps you should tell me exactly who you are?"

You slightly laughed. "I am Isabella Brieris."

"Isabella." He rolled your name off his tongue. "You are as enchanting as ever, Isabella. I am Lord Edward Scriven." His eyes never left yours as he kissed your hand.

You rose an eyebrow, before looking behind him, seeing the Viscount staring directly at you with a smile, but also Sebastian staring at you as he and Ciel danced towards the Viscount.

You looked to your right to see that Lizzie was also staring at you with a smile as she through you a wink and a thumbs up, making you crack a smile.

**. . .**

After the music stopped, Edward had released his grip on you and once again kissed you hand. "It was an honor dancing with you, my lady."

You bowed to him. "Good evening, Lord Scriven."

"Good evening, Isabella." He smiled at you, before walking away.

The sound of someone clapping behind you made you turn around. "Your dancing is exquisite like a lovely little raven, my sweet lady." The viscount said as he approached you.

You glanced to your right to see Sebastian and Ciel watching you. Ciel breathed a sigh of relief while Sebastian only glared at the Viscount.

You looked back to him as he stopped in front of you. "Good evening, my Lord Druitt." You said with a bow.

"I do hope you're enjoying the party..." He said as he grabbed your hand and kissed it."...dear raven." He said in a husky voice, which you assumed was his way of flirting.

"Oh, yes, certainly. It's a wonderful party, but...My lord, I've been waiting to speak with you all evening." You stated with a smile as you stepped closer to him.

"Oh?" He smirked.

"I'm bored to death of dancing and eating. It seems that is all there is to do." You turned away from him to face the people who have begun to dance again. His smirk grew up the side of his face.

"What a spoiled princess you are, my dear raven." He said as he wrapped his arm around your waist and turned you back towards him.

"Looking for something more entertaining?" He asked as you felt his hand travel further down your waist.

On the outside you blushed and leaned into him, but on the inside you shuddered in disgust at how repulsive he was.

"You know of other amusements?" You questioned before leaning over. "I'd be most interested." You whispered in his ear.

"Of course." He grabbed your chin and got close to your face.

"I'd be happy to show them to you, raven, my sweet thing." You smirked at him and bit your lip...and from the looks of it, not only the Viscount was being affected by you as you saw Sebastian with a cold, murderous look out of the corner of your eye.

If he could, you were sure he would've ripped him apart right then and there. It was obvious at how much he wanted to kill him, which only made you enjoy yourself.

"Really, like what?" Right now, it was your mission to find out his secret before the dance was over. You glanced to the right to see Lizzie on the opposite side of the room, smiling at you, blocked by the group of dancing couples.

Great. You now had to make sure that she wouldn't come over and interfere. "You want to know?" Druitt asked in a low voice.

"Indeed, I'm simply dying to, my lord."

"Well, you certainly seem old enough." He stated as he looked you up and down.

"Now don't tease me, my lord, I'm a lady, not a little girl." You said as you placed your hands on his chest.

You looked over again as the dance ended with Lizzie now running towards you. Oh no.

Aleister grabbed your chin and forced you to look at him. "What has you so distracted, my delightful butterfly?"

You laughed. "It's nothing, my lord..." You said as Lizzie nearly reached you, until a large white cabinet suddenly landed in front of her, Sebastian kneeling next to it, now wearing a white and red mask.

Everyone murmured amongst themselves as he stood up. "Ladies and gentlemen, if everyone would all please gather round, this evening's magic show will now begin." Sebastian announced, before turning towards Lau, Grell, and Madam Red. "Pardon me, sir, would you kindly assist me?" Sebastian asked towards Lau.

"Assist you? Certainly." Lau said as he walked over.

"I don't recall ordering any parlor tricks this evening..." Aleister pondered as he rubbed his chin.

"Now My lord, I've seen more than enough parlor tricks. May we please leave?" You asked as you rubbed his arm.

"Yes, anything for you, my sweet." He grabbed you by the waist and lead you away.

Sebastian watched as he lead you up a flight of stairs up to a back room.

"Right this way, dear." He said as he held open a long curtain for you to enter. You smiled with a slight laugh as you walked inside.

Sebastian waited until you both disappeared before returning his attention to the crowd.

**. . .**

You walked down a dark hallway and reached a door. You stared at it in suspicion.

"My lord, where exactly are we going?" You asked with a raised eyebrow. He smiled at you and opened the door to a dark room only lit by florescent purple lights.

"We're going somewhere I'm sure you'll find very amusing. I know I do." He stated before you walked inside. "Please." He said as he closed the door and walked ahead of you.

As you got a smell of the room, you realized it was quite a suffocating and toxic scent of some type of knockout gas.

Aleister looked back at you with a smirk, but it dropped as he saw you were still conscious with an amused expression.

"Surely you didn't believe it would've been that easy." You said with a smirk.

"How foolish of me, you are far too smart to fall for such a trick, my dear." He stated as he walked towards you, before you suddenly felt a sharp pain in your head and your vision became fuzzy.

It was painful, but it wasn't enough to knock you out. For a human, it would've been.

You pretended to close your eyes and fell back against the door, sliding down. "See, aren't you enjoying yourself... my raven?" He said while looking down at your 'unconscious' body.

 _Not yet..._ You thought as you felt yourself being picked up.

**. . .**

You opened your eyes and realized you were blindfolded as your hands were bound with a rope that went around your neck as you sat inside a covered cage.

You sighed and reached behind your head, snapping your fingers the cloth around your eyes was torn and fell from your face. You pulled your hands apart, which automatically broke the rope.

"And now, what you've all been waiting for: tonight's crown jewel." You heard Aleister from outside the cage as you stood up.

The cloth that had been covering the cage was removed to reveal a crowd of people all wearing masks including Aleistair who stood next to the cage, now wearing a black cloth that covered his eyes.

Everyone gasped as they saw you, including Aleister as he had expected you to still be tied and sitting down.

"My, my, it seems she had unbound herself all on her own." He said with a laugh as he covered his surprise. "Just another quality to add. I'm sure she'd make a lovely decoration, or sweet little pet. You can keep her whole and healthy. Or sell her for parts, if you'd like to." He shrugged while you looked over the audience.

"Her gorgeous black hair and unique crimson eyes only add and enhance her special beauty." He concluded.

You hummed. "A black market auction?" You questioned, surprising the entire room that you were brave enough to speak.

Aleister laughed. "The bidding shall begin momentarily." He announced as you slowly turned to look at him. He stared at you as you grinned at him, flashing him with your demonic eyes, before he quickly looked away.

"We'll start at a thousand guineas." He said.

"3000!" "4000!" "4500!" "6000!" Multiple people bided.

"As flattering as it is to be wanted by so many, I'm afraid I only have one master." The candles that had lit the room all blew out.

All the people in the room gasped and murmured. "What's this?!" Aleister exclaimed, before the sounds of people's screams and furniture being thrown erupted through the room.

The flames of the candles all ignited as you now stood in the center of the room, with the bodies of the men and women surrounding you.

The doors in front of you suddenly opened to reveal Ciel and Sebastian as they ran into the room.

Ciel's eye widened as he stared at the scene in front of him while Sebastian only smirked. "Really, Isabella? And here I was expecting you and I to be rescuing our master. Instead, you decided to have all the fun." Sebastian stated as you walked across the bodies over towards them.

"So, you rather the young master should've seduced the Viscount?" You questioned as you stared at Ciel.

Ciel shuddered and walked away towards the stage. "Well, I would much rather prefer him, then my future mate." Sebastian said through gritted teeth.

"Then you have no need to worry." You replied as you turned and followed Ciel. Sebastian gave you a cold look, before walking after you.

"I suppose this solves the Jack the Ripper case. Well that was easier than I had expected." Ciel stated as you all looked down at Aleister with his hands on his hips.

You smiled at him. "I imagine Scotland Yard will be here before much longer. We should take our leave." You walked away.

Sebastian nodded. "Indeed." He said before picking up Ciel and removing his glasses.

"Well, miss, are you ready?" Without waiting for a response, you both ran and jumped out the window.

You all soared through the sky and landed on the roof of the building across from the mansion.  
**. . .**

Lizzie stood on the balcony and turned as she saw something on the opposite building, but saw nothing was there. "I could have sworn I saw something up there...I guess I was wrong." She said as she rubbed her eyes.

_The Next Morning..._

" _'Jack the Ripper Strikes Again'_?" Lau read from the morning newspaper as you all stood in Ciel's study.

"So the viscount wasn't our man after all." Madam Red stated.

Ciel slapped his hands on his desk, shaking with anger while you and Sebastian stood by the door.

You both looked at each other, before discretely leaving the room.

"You know what this means, yes?" You questioned.

He nodded. "How long do you expect it will take the master to figure it out?"

"Well, they are rather convincing, but I have a feeling the answers to all our questions will come as quite a shock to our poor master." You stated.

"Yes, he is still a naive child after all." He agreed.

"Once we've finished everything, I'll have to make him a nice sweet to take his mind off things, but until then...let us continue doing as we always have." You stated.

He chuckled. "Indeed. We are of course one hell of a maid and butler."


	11. His Maid, Chance Encounter: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At last, we're finally about to solve the serial prostitute murders. 
> 
> Who is this mysterious perpetrator Jack the Ripper, and what does he want?
> 
> I have a feeling the answers to those questions will come as quite a shock to my poor master. He is still a naive child after all. When we've wrapped everything up, I'll have to make him a nice soothing dessert to take his mind off things.
> 
> Next time on Black Maid: "His Maid, Chance Encounter."
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid. 

 

The pitter patter of the rain sounded as it poured against the roof. You stood by Sebastian, going through all the information you've gathered to see if you've missed anything while Ciel and Madam Red were playing a game of Chess as you all remained in the drawing room.   
  
"Is this really the time for a game of chess?" Ciel questioned as Madam Red moved her piece.   
  
"Obsessing about it won't help you solve the case. Why not just leave it all to Isabella and Sebastian, dear?" She asked.  
  
"Because they're simply my chess pieces. I'm the one who moves them by giving orders. But they're no ordinary pieces." He said, making her tilt her head in curiosity. "They can move as many squares as they need to...Like that." He stated as he knocked over her piece.  
  
"Ah! That was against the rules, you know!" She exclaimed as she moved another piece.   
  
"Indeed, it would be if this was a game. But rules such as that have no true meaning in the real world. There are always knights who break the rules, and pawns who betray." He said as he folded his hands and placed his head into of them. "If you let your guard down... it's checkmate." He finished as he placed his piece down.   
  
She went quiet for a few moments and looked down. "You must have had other options in life besides policing England's underworld. I'm sure my sister—your mother—wanted something else for you." She quietly said as Ciel picked up his tea cup and sipped it. "And yet after their deaths, you returned to be the Queen's guard dog. Is it because you're trying to avenge your parents' murders?"  
  
You looked up from the papers you've been reading when she said that and looked over at Ciel.   
  
He put down his cup and looked at her. "The need for revenge is a funny thing; it won't bring back the dead, nor will it bring them happiness. But, then...To answer your question, I didn't return to the house of Phantomhive for my parents." He said as he looked down at his father's ring, before looking back up at her. "I did it for myself. I want to find the people responsible for what happened. And I want to make them experience the same pain and humiliation that I suffered." He strongly stated.   
  
Your lips curved into a small smile as you looked back down at your papers.  
  
Madam Red hummed and looked down. "I still remember when you were born, though it seems so long ago." She said as she stood up and walked over to him. "You were so tiny and fragile, I remember thinking, 'No matter what, I have to protect him.'" She said while putting her hand on his head and leaning down to him. "You know I was never able to have a child, but there was you. And I've come to think of you as my own son. Which is why I wish you would quit this."  
  
He looked away from her and moved her hand from his head. "This is a task I've freely chosen. It's still my choice to make, and no one else's." He looked up at her. "I don't regret my decision, and I won't be coddled, by anyone."   
  
She stayed quiet with a hurt look on her face as she pulled away from him and grabbed her coat.   
  
"I should've known better than to challenge you to a game. It was inevitable you would win, but if I were you, I would think out my strategies more. You cannot always rely on your chess pieces." She stated as she walked to the door.   
  
"Allow me to escort you out, my lady." Sebastian said as he followed her, shutting the door behind him.   
  
The room fell silent, until you walked over and picked up Madam Red's empty tea cup. Ciel gestured for you to take his as well as he stared at the board. You looked at him curiously, but didn't move.   
  
"You are not my servant so you can stand around and observe me. Now focus on your work or get out of my sight." He said without looking at you.   
  
You ignored him and continued to stare at him. He started to grow irritated and looked at you with a scowl. "What are you, deaf? I sai—"  
  
"With all do respect, sir. You shouldn't show such disrespect towards others who only care for your well being." You finally said.   
  
He scoffed at you.  
  
You frowned and slammed the tea cup down on the table, making him look at you in surprise.   
"Ever since I've returned, I've noticed that not only have you changed, but your manners have decreased to almost nothing. First your little outburst on Lady Elizabeth, now your coldness towards Madam Red, but overall, the way this life has affected you." You said as you leaned down towards him.   
  
"There is no need to isolate yourself, Ciel. Fear...it is not weakness. No, it is your greatest strength and you must use it wisely, but that does not mean you must go through it alone." You said while your red orbs stared directly into his blue one.   
  
His eye slightly softened, before his face turned cold. "You should refrain from concerning yourself with others' business. I mean really, it's not like your opinion matters. You're only a mere servant, a pawn. Just another demon." He coldly said. "Now return to your duties."   
  
You looked at him, before backing away, taking his and madam Red's cup and walking towards the door.   
  
"And Isabella." You stopped and looked back at him. "I am your master. Do not call me Ciel, I will not remind you again."   
  
You smiled and bowed your head. "Yes, master."  
  
 **. . .**  
  
Sebastian walked Madam Red to the door and helped her put on her coat. "I have it now. Thank you." She said as she turned to him.  
  
"My lady."   
  
She looked up at him. "Promise me: say you'll never leave his side. I already know Isabella won't but I need to be sure you won't either. This is a dangerous world for a boy. Make sure he doesn't lose his way."   
  
He stared at her, before smiling and getting down on one knee. "Fear not. I swear, I shall stay by his side until the very end." He said before there was a knock on the door.  
  
It opened to reveal Grell, standing beside a carriage with an umbrella. "I'm here to escort you back home, my lady." He said just as there was a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning.  
  
 **. . .  
**  
After you and Sebastian had, again, looked over everything, you both walked to Ciel's room where he was sleeping. Sebastian opened the door and Ciel looked over.   
  
"Well then?" He asked.  
  
"No matter how we look at it, the result is still the same." Sebastian stated as he held the papers you both looked through.   
  
Ciel sat up and thought for a second. "Yesterday's murder—the viscount didn't do it."   
  
"Exactly. None of the people in his mansion could have done it, either." You stated.  
  
"Indeed... No person could move that quickly. Anyway, tomorrow we'll start..." Ciel stopped and looked back at you both in realization.  
  
"Wait! You didn't..." You both smiled at him.   
  
"Of course we didn't, my lord. After all, we never lie. Now. Involved in medicine, ties to secret societies or black magic, lacking alibis for the nights the bodies were found: The only human who fits all criteria is the Viscount Druitt." Sebastian recalled.   
  
Ciel scowled at the both of you. "You both know more about this than you're letting on, don't you?!"  
  
You chuckled. "But we're simply one hell of a maid and butler." You said with a smile, putting your hand across your stomach. "As you well know, we only carry out those orders our master has directly given us."   
  
He snarled at you as Sebastian threw the papers into the air. "You need only say the words, my lord, we become either your pawn or your knight." He stated.  
  
"Now, master, move us into check." You said with a smirk.  
  
 **. . .**  
  
You, Ciel, and Sebastian were staking out behind a building as it continued to rain. Ciel had dressed as a normal poverty boy while you had used your power to change into the form of a black cat while Sebastian had stayed dressed as a butler.   
  
"He'll show if we stake out this place, right?" Ciel asked as he peered around the corner.  
  
"Yes." Sebastian answered.  
  
"You know... I've realized the murdered prostitutes had other things in common besides their profession." Ciel said in thought.  
  
You sat down and flicked your tail. "The most beautiful, glossy black hair." Sebastian muttered.  
  
You looked up at him to see him staring down at you. "Meow?"   
  
"But I still don't understand why he had to kill them all." Ciel said, oblivious that Sebastian wasn't listening.   
  
"So very lovable. It could almost be a sin..." Sebastian muttered, making you slowly scoot away from him, closer to Ciel. He was starting to make you uncomfortable.   
  
"And what's more, I-"   
  
"Meow!" You screeched as Sebastian knelt down and picked you up.   
  
You hissed at him, but he didn't seem to care as he stroked your black fur. "So soft... Ah, so soft..."   
  
Ciel looked over, noticing Sebastian was ignoring him. "Listen when I'm talking to you!"   
  
"Oh... I apologize, sir, but she's so beautiful. And soft..."   
  
A loud ear piercing scream suddenly sounded from the building.   
  
You jumped out of Sebastian's arms and started to transform back as they both looked back. "How could someone have gotten past us?!" Ciel questioned.   
  
He looked back to see you, now in the form of a human, in your maid uniform. "Let's go, sir." You said, before you all took off.   
  
Ciel ran towards the back door and opened it, revealing the gruesome, bloody scene of Jack the Ripper's fresh victim.  
  
You quickly covered Ciel's eyes. "Come away!" You exclaimed as you jumped back to stand by Sebastian while still covering Ciel's eyes.   
  
"You've made quite a bloody mess of things in there, Jack the Ripper..." Sebastian said as a person approached the door frame.  
  
"...Or rather, Grell Sutcliff?" Grell appeared in the doorway, fresh blood covering him from head to toe.   
  
"No... No, you're wrong! I...I-I heard the scream and rushed to help, but..." He stuttered.  
  
"You can drop the innocent act, Grell. It's over." You called him out.   
  
"You know, this is actually the first time I've met someone like you in the human world." Sebastian stated.  
  
"Yes, you played the role of 'helpless butler' well. Your act had almost everybody completely fooled." You said with a smirk.   
  
Grell looked down as the blood dripped from his face.  
"You... you think so?" He asked, before looking back up and breaking out into a wide grin and laughing maniacally, which made him look creepy as hell.   
  
"How kind of you, Izzy." You rose an eyebrow at the new nickname you acquired.   
  
Honestly, what is it with psychos and nicknames?  
  
"That's great to hear." He said as he pulled the red ribbon from his hair, letting it loose. "After all, I am an actress." He took off his round glasses. "And quite a good one at that." He said while pulling out a comb and combing his brown hair, it slowly turning bright red. "Of course you're not really 'Isabella' and 'Sebastian' either, are you?" He questioned as he put on fake eyelashes and pulled on dark brown gloves.  
  
"Isabella and Sebastian are the names our masters gave us, so that is who we are... for now." You stated.  
  
"Ah, you're both playing the 'faithful dogs'." He said as he put on red rectangle glasses with beaded hooks. "Well, Sebastian, you're handsome enough to get away with it." He said as he pushed up his glasses.  
  
"Anyway, here we are, Sebastian... No, I'll call you Bassy!" He said while flipping his hair. "Bassy, Izzy, let me introduce myself: The Burnett butler, Grell Sutcliff." He stated while posing. "What do you say? Let's get along." He said while blowing a kiss to Sebastian, who shuddered in disgust.

"Ah, it's so nice to talk to you both in my true form! I admit I was surprised when I first met you both, I've never seen a demon playing a butler or a maid, let alone two." He said with a smile.  
  
"But we could say the same about you. I never thought I'd find one of your kind playing a butler either." Sebastian said in slight surprise.  
  
"Indeed, You're supposed to an intermediary between man and God--a grim reaper. Why would a divine being like you pretend to be a servant?" You questioned with a raised eyebrow.   
  
"Why, indeed? For now let's just say that it was out of love for a certain woman." He replied.  
  
Ciel slightly gasped. "And that woman would be?" Sebastian inquired.  
  
"You don't really need to ask, do you?" A voice said from inside the room Grell had come from.   
  
The sound of heels clicking sounded as a person stepped outside.   
  
Ciel moved your hand from his eyes and looked as Madam Red stopped next to Grell with her arms crossed.  
  
"Madam..." Ciel muttered.  
  
"Well, I hadn't counted on this. I didn't think anyone would be able to tell who Grell truly is." She said with a shrug.  
  
"Naturally you were on the suspect list from the very beginning. But all of your alibis seemed flawless." Ciel stated.   
  
"You mean you actually suspected your own aunt?" She questioned while tilting her head.  
  
"I was looking for a murderer; degree of relation to me did not matter." He simply said.   
"None of the humans on the suspect list could have been responsible for all the murders. But if one of them had an inhuman accomplice, that would change the game completely. It had to be someone who could enter and leave the room without being noticed; someone who could travel from the viscount's home to the East End instantaneously. In the end, you two were the only ones who could be Jack the Ripper... you Madam Red and Grell Sutcliff. I began to look into what else the victims had in common besides prostitution. And then, I noticed they'd all undergone a certain surgery at the hospital where you work." He continued as he pulled out a paper with a list of names.   
  
"We made a list of all the patients. One, the only one who was still alive, was a woman by the name of Mary Kelly." He said as he held it up. "We knew if we waited around here you would come for her eventually. But we were too late..." He gazed behind them at Mary Kelly's bloody body.  
  
"My darling nephew, how unfortunate this turned out to be...If you had let it go, we could have played chess again." Madam Red sadly stated.   
  
"But now..." She said through gritted teeth as she clenched her fists. "You've taken everything!" She yelled just as Grell pulled out a chain saw and revved it, swinging towards Ciel, before Sebastian caught it as you grabbed Ciel and pulled him back.   
  
Sebastian threw back the chain saw and jumped back, causing Grell to flip, but land on his feet. "What is that?!" Ciel questioned while you both stood in front of him, facing Grell.  
  
"Grim reapers use tools for harvesting souls. That is his reaper scythe." You explained.  
  
"Don't you dare call it that!" Grell yelled, and you instantly moved your arm in front of Ciel when he did.   
  
"This is so much more than a scythe; I worked very hard to customize it! This is a special "death scythe" of my own design. It can hack anyone into tiny pieces!" He stated with a grin.  
  
"I've been far too well-behaved. I'm getting. Out. Of. Shape. I would love to exercise my skills, especially on you, Bassy. So. Shall. We. Play?" He said as he stepped closer towards Sebastian with a wink.   
  
"Perhaps you could be a bit more respectful of my position? I'm on duty after all." Sebastian stated.   
  
"What a stoic man you are! That makes you even more irresistible!" Grell exclaimed, making you sigh.  
  
"You know, red is my favorite color. It's perfect for hair, for clothes, for lipstick. Even you, darling Izzy, looked so ravishing in red at the ball." He said while winking at you, before turning back to Sebastian.   
  
"So, I painted all those women with pretty, pretty red blood. So, Bassy, now I'll make you even better looking than you are. I'll tear you up from the inside, and trust me I'll make you like it. You'll be as lovely as scattered rose petals." He said with a wink as he pointed his scythe at Sebastian.   
  
"You are a grim reaper; your job is to quietly harvest the souls of the dying." You stated as you turned your back to him while Sebastian removed his coat and covered Ciel.   
  
"And as a butler, your job is to follow your master like a shadow. You have violated both of these expectations. And quite frankly, I find it sickening." Sebastian said in disgust as he looked back at Grell, who grinned.  
  
"Bassy, you wound me. You know, I'm more deadly efficient than I seem!" He exclaimed while sticking his tongue out and winking.   
  
Ciel rose his hand up to his eye patch and removed it. "In my name and that of the Queen, I order you, Sebastian: put an end to them!" Ciel ordered, his contract mark glowing.   
  
Sebastian's eyes slitted and turned pink. "Indeed, my young lord." He said, before raising his hand and biting his glove with his teeth.


	12. His Maid, Chance Encounter: 2/ At The Funeral: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The red spider lilies blazing in the fields.  
> The red cardinals singing in the trees.  
> All must eventually wither and die.
> 
> Falling prey to the deadly laws of nature.  
> Please excuse me.
> 
> I cannot allow myself to be affected by such vulgarity.  
> I shall have to dispatch him in a deadly efficient way.
> 
> Next time on Black Butler: "His Maid, At the Funeral."
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

Grell had immediately began to attack Sebastian after his statement. He swung his chain saw at him, but Sebastian had moved and dodged it every time. "Ooh, yes! Please run away! We can play tag, Bassy!"  
  
Sebastian jumped back, only for the chain saw to come right near his face. He quickly caught it, which made him get backed up against a wall. "But see what happens if you're not fast enough—you get cut. It's more fun when it hurts a little bit though, isn't it?"  
  
As their fight progressed, you had turned your attention to Madam Red and focused on the task of protecting Ciel. "You're still the Queen's guard dog, which means that now I'm your prey." Madam Red stated as she stood in front of you both, Ciel only looked down, while you shielded him.  
  
"But if it's hunt or be hunted..." She began as she pulled out a dagger. "There's only one thing I can do!" She shouted as she ran towards him.  
  
You pushed him to the side, resulting in her blade slicing the side of your arm. You yelped and moved back, clutching your arm in pain.  
  
Wait. Pain?  
  
You looked down and sure enough, you had blood running down your arm from the fresh wound.  
  
And it hurt, man! Wtf?!  
  
You looked over at Madam Red, who was hunched over and noticed her blade already had blood on it. She must've used the same blade to kill the prostitute. Hopefully, she wouldn't get anything important, or you would be screwed. The blood of the dead was like poison to you, you weren't exactly sure why, but you had a feeling it had to do with your mixed genes..  
  
Sebastian had glanced at you, his eyes widening in surprise at your pained reaction to the injury.  
  
"You're a doctor! How could you do it?!" Ciel questioned in shock.  
  
"You wouldn't understand if I told you!" She said, without facing him. "You're just a child!" She yelled as she turned around.  
  
She went to grab Ciel's throat, but you pulled him away. She growled and instead, grabbed your throat. You stared at her as she snarled at you.  
  
"Let her go!" Ciel demanded.  
  
"You... You brat..." She muttered as she turned to Ciel. "You shouldn't have been born in the first place!" She yelled as she swung the blade down, stabbing you in the chest. You gasped with your eyes widening as Ciel stared in shock.  
  
"Isabella!" You heard Sebastian yell.  
  
She was breathing heavily as she stared down. You used all of your strength to grasp onto her arm, making her look at you. "Angelina...do you honestly believe you can murder the son of your sister?"  
  
Her eyes widened as she looked back at Ciel. "Sister!"  
  
She pulled the blade out of you and backed away just as you heard the sound of something slicing and blood splattering.  
  
You looked over and saw Sebastian running towards Madam Red. "Stop, Sebastian! Don't kill her!" Ciel yelled, making him stop just as he reached out for her. She dropped the blade and backed away.  
  
Sebastian deeply exhaled and dropped his hand, grasping his arm that now had a large gash on his shoulder. "My, Sebastian, your arm..." You muttered.  
  
"Oooh, how sweet you are, Bassy!" Grell said as he pulled out his chain saw from the wall and turned to him. "Really, what a prince. Sacrificing your own poor limb to save our beloved Izzy..." He began to walk towards Madam Red.  
  
"On the other hand, you're a disappointment, Madam! Come now. Hurry up and kill the brat already!" He said as he stopped in front of her.  
  
Madam Red buried her face in her hands and started to cry, before looking up at Ciel with watery eyes. "I loved my sister... I loved her husband... I loved their child..." She muttered, before clutching her stomach. "I can't. I can't kill him. I can't kill their beloved son..."  
  
"Really? You're getting soft-hearted on me all of a sudden? After all those deaths?" Grell asked with a shrug. "If you don't end him, he'll end you!"  
  
Ciel stared at her. "Madam..."  
  
"But... this dear boy..." She said, before turning towards Grell. "This child is my—Ugh!"  
  
She was cut off by Grell, who had ran his chain saw through her heart.  
  
All of your eyes' widened. "Too late for that! How disappointing!" He then pulled it out of her, making her body land on the ground.  
  
"What use do I have for you if you're just another woman!?" He said just as strands of cinematic tape began to come from her wound and roll; it displaying pictures of her.  
"Is that her?" Sebastian asked as you clutched your chest and moved over to stand next to him.  
  
"A part of the reaper's job is to replay and examine the memories of those who are on the To-Die list. From that, we determine what kind of person they were, we see from their own perspective what kind of life they lived, and we decide whether they should live or die..." Grell stated as you watched it roll.  
  
"Their lives flash right before their eyes." You summed up.  
  
"Oh please, that's such a pedestrian term! It is so much more than that. This is the reaper's true power: the Cinematic Record!" Grell exclaimed as her Cinematic record began to play.  
  
_Flashback..._  
  
"Rachel, Angelina, come say hello to our guest, Lord Phantomhive and his maid, Isabella." Rachel's and Angelina's father stated as he gestured towards Vincent, who was sitting on the couch, with you behind him.'  
  
'I had hated the red hair I inherited from my father.'  
  
"Your hair is very beautiful, An. The color of spider lilies. Red suits you very well." Vincent said with a smile as he stood next to her out in the garden.'  
  
'But I came to love it after all. I came to love the color red. I came to love him.'  
  
"An, I have wonderful news!" Rachel exclaimed as Angelina walked in to see Rachel and Vincent smiling and laughing on the couch, holding hands as you stood behind them with a smile.'  
  
'My sister...Once again, I hated the color red. But... I could never bring myself to hate them. Eventually, I, too, met a man and got married.'  
  
As it played, you walked away, towards the room where you had found the body. You didn't want to stick around and hear it, because you've already witnessed everything, plus you were weak and needed to feed. You crouched down to the body and stared at it, before opening your mouth, retracting your fangs and leaning forward.  
  
"What do you think—a boy or a girl?" An's husband asked as he was crouched down and rubbing her stomach.'  
  
'She laughed. "Men are so impatient. How would I know that yet?"  
  
'It didn't happen at all in the way I wanted it to, but still, I thought I'd found happiness...'  
  
"That carriage hit someone! Call a doctor, quickly!"  
  
'Then it all slipped away...'  
  
"Your husband died instantly. And in order to save your life, we were forced to remove your uterus and your unborn child with it. I'm sorry, but we had no choice..." The doctor informed as An sat on the hospital bed.'  
  
'Everything... Everything slipped away from me...I lost the man I had learned to love... and the child I loved so dearly before it was even born. The stain spread...It covered everything...That color I so hated... the color red...My sister was buried with the man she loved. If only... If only my heart had been buried in the ground along with them.'  
  
"Honestly, a child would only be in the way. I don't know who the father is, and my customers wouldn't like a child hanging around." The prostitute said as she flipped her hair while sitting in front of An.'  
  
'I had lost everything in my life. That woman had what I wanted most... what I would never get the chance to have again...And she threw it away without a second thought. I wanted to stain her too...I decided to stain everything red, with my own hands.'  
  
"My, my! That was quite a little show!" Grell stated as he walked up from behind her while she was crouched down in front of the prostitute's body.'  
  
'That's when I met my blood-red grim reaper. A few months later, my missing nephew suddenly reappeared. With him, he brought a butler dressed in black...a butler that was a spitting image of the maid I grew to love as family. I got at least one thing back.'  
  
'The child of the man I loved... and my sister. If this child could come back, then why couldn't my beloved? If his maid could come back, then why couldn't my sister? Why wasn't I the one he chose to marry?'  
  
'I finally decided that I would right all the wrongs I had been dealt. You've taken everything!'  
  
As the record finished, so did you. You looked down at your arm to see it had already started healing. You sighed as you stood up, wiping the blood that was now covering your mouth and licking it off your fingers. Your fangs retracted as you walked back outside, seeing her record had ended.  
  
Ciel stared at you, but you ignored him and walked back over to Sebastian, with your wound healing and your strength returning.  
  
"How beautiful you were dyed crimson covered in your victims' blood. I loved you so." Grell said, before he removed his coat and threw it somewhere as he walked over to her body. "What a disappointment you turned out to be in the end. You don't have what it takes to wear red." He said as he took the red coat she had been wearing and slipped it on. "Your cheap little melodrama ends now. It's over, Madam Red. Goodbye." Grell picked up his chain saw and walked away, with you and Sebastian staring after him.  
  
**_'Are you alright?'_**   Sebastian asked inside your mind.  
  
You said nothing and walked over to Ciel, staring down at him as he closed Madam Red's lifeless eyes. "Well, what are you waiting for?" He questioned, making Sebastian stop as he walked over. "I thought I ordered you to put an end to Jack the Ripper."  
  
"Well, in all honesty, young master, you never gave me that order." You recalled.  
  
"I'm ordering you now! It's not over yet." He stated, making Grell stop walking. Ciel turned around and looked up at the two of you. "One is left. Both of you, stop standing there and kill him!"    
  
You both looked at each other and smiled, before looking back at Ciel. "Certainly."  
Sebastian said, before you both turned and walked to stand behind Grell.  
  
"I was going to spare you—professional courtesy and all that— but if you insist, I'll send you both and the boy to heaven all together!" He yelled as he started his chain saw and turned around, swinging it towards your heads.  
  
You both ducked and smiled at him. "Heaven? You're joking." You said as you both swiftly jumped up, landing on the roof of a building behind him. Grell's eyes went wide. "We know nothing of heaven." You said with a laugh, before he turned around, only to get a kick in the face from Sebastian, who jumped down and landed in front of him.  
  
"You would kick a lady in the face?! Where are your manners, sir?!" Grell scolded.  
  
"Yes, Sebastian, that is not how a gentlemen acts." You added with a smirk as you jumped down and landed behind Grell.  
  
"You're right, Isabella. Terribly sorry. You see, I am simply one hell of a butler." Sebastian said as he turned around to face Grell.  
  
"Ha! You think two demons like you can beat a reaper?" Grell said in disbelief.  
  
"Certainly. You see, if our master tells us to win, then we shall win." You said as you looked back at Ciel.  
  
"You care a lot about that puny little brat, don't you, Izzy?" Grell questioned. You didn't answer, and only looked at Ciel, who looked back at you.  
  
"I'm jealous. Demon or not, you both shall still be destroyed if I reap you with my death scythe. Aren't you frightened?"  
  
Sebastian smiled. "Not at all. You see, we both belong to our masters. Our own soul and our body, down to the last hair are theirs. Our contracts remain, so we follow their every order."  
  
You looked back at Sebastian. "That's what it truly means to be a servant." You finished as you looked at Grell.  
  
He grinned and rose up his chain saw, running towards the both of you while laughing. You both moved and jumped up as he swung at you. "Here we are, a demon and a reaper!" He said as you both looked down at him, landing on the ground.  
  
You went to kick him, but he jumped up. "I suppose we'll never resolve this, Bassy." Grell said as you both also jumped up towards him. "These feelings that we have are forbidden. Oh, my! It's just like Romeo and Juliet!" Grell exclaimed as he and Sebastian grew closer, until Sebastian gave a face of disgust.  
  
"O my dear Bassy! Wherefore art thou my sweet love Bassy?" Grell said as he clutched his heart with a smile.  
  
Sebastian narrowed his eyes at Grell and shot up, punching him in the face. Grell landed back on a roof top, with you and Sebastian landing on the roof opposite from him. "If you would deny thy master and refuse thy name, I know that we could be happy together..."  
  
Sebastian smiled. "The moment my master uttered my new name, the word became our solemn contract. I was re-baptized as his, and his alone. At least, until Isabella will give into her being my mate for all eternity." He added as he looked at you.  
  
You sighed. "Now is not the time, Sebastian." You said in annoyance as you looked at him.  
  
He clicked his tongue and looked back at Grell. "From that day, I have been Sebastian. By yonder moon I swear it." He dramatically said.  
  
"To swear by something inconstant as the moon, how I can believe your words?" Grell questioned, he then stared at Sebastian's eyes that were his usual demonic pink-slitted. "Yet I see your eyes and know that they do what your lips and hands long to do. You caress me softly with your unworthy, devilish gaze!"  
  
"Oooh! It's too much, Bassy! I would bear your children if only you let me!" He gushed.  
  
This time, it was you who gave a look of disgust, because the very image of that made you want to throw up. "Honestly, would you please stop that... It is revolting."  
  
"Urgh, you treat me so coldly, Izzy. I imagine it is only your own act of jealousy." He said as he started his chain saw again, all of you beginning to run towards each other.  
  
"Beautiful tyrant!" Grell exclaimed as he swung the saw underneath Sebastian, who jumped and spread his legs.  
  
"Fiend angelical!" Grell swung at you next, but you leaned back.  
  
"My dove-feather'd raven!" He swung at Sebastian's face, but he blocked and grabbed Grell by the collar.  
  
"Oh, Bassy!" Sebastian held the chain saw in place with Grell still holding onto it. "Bassy my love... If only cruel morning would never come! Then the two of us might go on like this forever. Our love permanently lit by the moon's seductive glow." He stated before leaning forward and in Sebastian's face.  
  
Grell suddenly roughly hit Sebastian on the forehead with his. "But, no, I'm afraid our adventure ends here. Shall we part with a passionate kiss?" He said as Sebastian fell back. "No, then good night, my love, a thousand times good night!" He revved his chain saw and sliced Sebastian across the stomach.  
  
You growled and went towards Grell, but he had sliced your side mid air and kicked you off the roof, making you fly through the air and land on the ground near Ciel.  
  
"There now, surely your Cinematic Record would be far more interesting than any human's!" Grell said as strands of cinematic tape came out of Sebastian, like it had to Madam Red.  
  
"Mmhmmm..." Grell hummed with a grin as Sebastian's cinematic record began to play.  
  
A flash of a past memeory of Tanaka, sipping tea popped up. "Mmm?"


	13. His Maid, At The Funeral: 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Murderer has shown his true face. A soul has been lost. An event of passing will take place.
> 
> I should know now how cruel my master can be...but his words continue to surprise me.

The memories consisted of the servants played, including you and Ciel on all of the chores and daily scolding you've both done towards the servants.

"No... No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Who are these people?! What the hell is this?!" Grell questioned.

Sebastian gasped as blood poured from his mouth. "That is what my life has been for the past two years, after all."

"I'm not interested in seeing your daily chores, I know all that! Come on, show me the good stuff!" Grell said in frustration.

"So sorry, I'm afraid I charge for the juicy bits." Sebastian said as he suddenly appeared behind Grell.

"Skinflint!" Grell said as he turned to face him, only to get kicked, making him fly into the wall.

"Look at that, my clothes are ruined again." Sebastian said as he looked at his sleeve, that was bloody and torn.

You stood up from where you had landed and looked at your side that was torn. "Dear, This is past mending." You said before jumping back onto the roof, next to Sebastian.

"You must be pretty confident to worry about your clothes right now. But of course you know I always appreciate a sharp-looking man. Well done, Bassy!" Grell stated.

Sebastian removed his tailcoat and held it out next to him. "There was one technique that I absolutely did not want to use... but I have no other choice." He said as he closed his eyes.

You looked at him in surprise. "My, Sebastian! Don't tell me you are actually considering it?"

He opened his eyes and looked at you. "Indeed, it must be done."

"So, at last you're gonna fight me seriously?" Grell said, before starting up his chain saw. "Shall we send the curtain down with the next blow? I'll miss you terribly, but perhaps we'll meet again."

You sighed and closed your eyes. "I cannot bare to witness this." You said, before you then jumped onto the opposite roof.

"Farewell!" Grell exclaimed as they both jumped up, towards each other. Grell swung it directly in his face with a grin, but it dropped once Sebastian had shoved his tailcoat into his chain saw, making it stop. Sebastian landed back on the roof with Grell falling on it. He stood up and looked at Sebastian in disbelief. "What the hell?!"

Sebastian put his hand on his hip and looked down at him. "That was my finest tailcoat, it was made of the highest quality Yorkshire wool."

You jumped back onto the roof, next to Sebastian. "Wool is a very tricky fabric. Once it becomes caught in something, it is exceedingly difficult to remove." You stated as Grell tried to pull it out of the chain saw.

"How could you do this to meee?!" Grell whined.

"I acquired that coat at the manor, and I certainly didn't want to use it for something like this...But you had already ruined it, after all." Sebastian said as you both walked up behind him. He turned and looked up at you both in fear.

"So then, fisticuffs, yes? That suits us quite well. We do have some expertise in that area." You said as you both cracked your knuckles and leaned down with smiles.

"No! Please! Just one request! Not my face!" Grell begged. You kicked him in the face, Sebastian punched him in the face, and once again you kicked him, and jumped off the roof, landing on the ground. Sebastian threw multiple more punches and kicks.

"I said, no face!" Grell complained just as Sebastian threw one last punch, which sent him flying off the roof.

While this was happening, you had stood up and walked over to Ciel, who had covered Madam Red with Sebastian's coat and was crouched down next to her. "Mas-"

"Please, just stoooop!" You were cut off by Grell's screams.

You both looked up to see Grell falling straight down, towards you and Ciel. You jumped up and kicked him to the left, making him fly and skid across the ground to a stop, Sebastian landing seconds after.

"I am sorry. I seem to have misjudged the distance, my lord." Sebastian apologized as Grell's chain saw landed on the ground.

"You both look pretty awful." Ciel commented as he looked at the both of you.

"He caused us a little bit of trouble, actually." You stated.

"I'll show you someday..." Grell groaned.

You both looked over at him where he lied. "Oh, dear. I suppose one can't kill a reaper with bare fists alone." Sebastian said as he walked over to him.

You looked over and picked up Grell's death scythe. "Well then, just try this, his very special reaper scythe." You said, before tearing Sebastian's tailcoat out of it and dropping it. "There, that's unstuck. Now it should cut right through you." You said as you tossed it to Sebastian, who caught it.

"Wh-What are you thinking?! No, don't!" Grell begged, just before Sebastian stepped on his face and kept him in place.

"I must say, this is much nicer. I prefer kicking to being kicked." Sebastian said.

"That hurts!" Grell complained.

You looked over at Ciel. "Master, he is revolting but still a divine being. Are you prepared to accept whatever consequences come of killing him?"

"Isabella, do you need me to repeat my order?" He inquired.

You smiled. "No, sir."

Sebastian started the chain saw, making Grell scream. "We finally found something you're good at: screaming. Very well done." Sebastian said as he brought the saw behind his head. "And as a reward, I shall kill you with this cherished little toy of yours."

"Stop it, stop! Don't kill me!" Grell pleaded.

Sebastian smiled. "So sorry."

"I can tell you who killed the kid's parents!"

Ciel's head shot up as Sebastian swung down the chain saw, but he was blocked by a long metal pole that came out of nowhere. Your eyes widened. You knew that weapon anywhere. You all looked up to see a man with glasses standing on top of the building, holding a book and a long set of shears.

"I apologize for interrupting." He said as he retracted the shears. "Let me introduce myself: I am William T. Spears, an administrator at the Grim Reaper Staffing Association." He announced, fixing his glasses and looking down at Grell. "I've come to retrieve that reaper there."

A big smile spread across Grell's face as he saw him. "William! Oh, William! Did you came to save me—Urgh!" His voice was muffled as William jumped down and landed on his head.

"Attention, Reaper Grell Sutcliff, you have violated several regulations. First, you killed people not on the To-Die list. Second, you used a death scythe that had been modified without authorization. And finally, you offered someone strictly classified information regarding the identity of his relatives' murderer." William recalled as he read from the book.

You slightly smiled. You had met William over a century ago and it seemed he was still the professional grim reaper and workaholic you had first met, which was the complete opposite of Grell.

He closed the book and stepped over Grell to stand in front of Sebastian and lowered his head. "I apologize for all of the trouble this wretch has caused." He reached inside his pocket and held out a card. "Here, please accept my card." Sebastian stared at him and grabbed it. "Honestly... I never thought I'd see the day when I had to bow my head to demon scum like you...This is a disgrace to all grim reapers." William muttered as Sebastian smiled.

"Then perhaps you should keep a better eye on your minions... so they don't trouble us." Sebastian suggested as he threw away the card.

"Humans are so easily tempted, William." You said as you walked over and stood beside Sebastian. William rose his head and looked at you in surprise. "You know it well, they will do anything when in the grip of utter despair. They will grasp at any thread that promises to save them from unhappiness, no matter the consequences."

"Indeed. Interesting to see you here, Isabella." He said as he straightened up and adjusted his glasses. "I see you are back at being the loyal cat to the Phantomhives." He said as he looked at the family crest on your uniform.

You smiled at him. You were pretty much the only demon he was ever nice to, considering your ancestry, he didn't consider you as just any demon, only a more trustworthy and less troublesome one.

"Anyhow, that's a charming bit of hypocrisy." He said as he looked back at Sebastian. "You demons capitalize on that quality more often than we do."

Sebastian smiled. "That I cannot deny."

William looked back at Ciel. "Right now you seem to be a tame dog; that makes you far less dangerous than the rabid mongrels running around free." He stated, then looked over at you.

"Still, be cautious of the company you keep, Isabella." His eyes drifted over to Sebastian.

You smiled at him. "You have no reason to worry, William."

"I don't, I just wish not to do the extra paper work." He said as he began to walk over to Grell, but stopped and looked back at you. "Also, I would feed a little more if I were you, you have looked better."

You nodded with a smirk.

"Now, come with me, Grell. We're leaving." He grabbed Grell's hair and began to drag him away. "We're already shorthanded, and here you've gone and landed me with even more overtime. The Board is not going to be pleased."

Sebastian glared at him as he walked away and pulled out Grell's chain saw, then threw it at him.

William caught it in between his fingers and looked back at him. Sebastian smiled. "I assume you want that, yes?"

"Yes, thank you." He said as he let go of it, letting it drop onto Grell, who groaned. "Now, if you'll please excuse us." He said as they disappeared from sight.

You sighed and turned around, you and Sebastian walked over to Ciel. "I'm sorry, my lord. We allowed half of Jack the Ripper to escape." You apologized.

He was quiet for a moment. "It's all right... It's... done."

You knelt down and touched his cheek. "You're chilled to the bone, master. Let's hurry back to the house now. I'll make some hot tea to warm you up." You said with a smile.

"That's a good idea." He stood up, only to fall to the side.

"Sir?!" Sebastian exclaimed as he went to catch him, until Ciel slapped him and backed away. Sebastian's eyes widened. "But, master?"

"No. Stay back. I can stand on my own. I'm fine... Just a little tired, that's all."

**. . .**

The church bells began to ring as the clock stroke 3. It was loud enough for all of London to hear, but in this case, it brought the attention of three kids who ran over to the church. "Wait, brother!" The little girl called after her older brother as she and her other brother ran to the fence.

"Hey, look. The church is really crowded today." The littlest boy said.

"I wonder why?" The girl said as she looked up at the eldest brother.

"Don't know." The eldest boy responded.

"But you're older than us! Doesn't that mean you should know?" The little boy questioned.

"You're stupid!" The girl said while pointing at him.

"Hey! I'm still only twelve! It's not like I'm supposed to know everything yet!" He shouted.

"You have a point." A voice said.

They looked over to see Undertaker, leaning on the opposite side of the fence. "At only twelve, it would be a shame if you did understand what's happening. Let me explain it. Today is a special noblewoman's big day."

The kids backed away in fear. "What do you mean, mister?" The girl asked.

"Well... it's the ultimate ceremony of any person's life...The funeral."

**. . .**

You stood outside of the church with Ciel and Sebastian, holding a scarlet red dress in hand. "Would you like to do the honors, sir, or shall I?" You asked. He said nothing and instead grabbed the dress and threw it over his shoulder. "As you wish."

Ciel opened the doors to the church, making everyone turn and look at him.

"You're here...!" Lizzy exclaimed as she turned. You and Sebastian stood on the opposite sides of the door, watching Ciel as he walked down the aisle with people whispering among themselves.

Ciel approached the bed on which Madam Red lied on and jumped up, draping the dress on her body. "White flowers and plain dresses didn't suit you in life and they don't now." He said. "You belong in red, the color of passion, color of spider lilies..." He said while pulling out a red rose and putting it next to her head. "Farewell, Aunt An."

Lizzie looked to the door as thousands of rose petals began to fly into the church, you, Sebastian and Undertaker, standing by a glass Hearst of roses. "Rest peacefully... Madam Red."   
**. . .**

"This is her?" Sebastian asked while holding Ciel's top hat as you, Ciel and Undertaker stood in front of the grave of Mary Kelly in the Cemetery.

"Yes, indeed it is. My last customer from the Jack the Ripper." Undertaker responded while holding a bouquet of white roses.

"Apparently she was an immigrant. She had no family in the country to claim her body." Ciel stated.

"So our kindhearted earl here hired me to pretty her up, even had this gravestone erected. A truly noble act on his part, eh?" Undertaker said as he poked Ciel's cheek with his nail.

"This isn't noble at all. The noble thing to do would have been to save her. And I could have if I put her life first. But no, I had to catch them. Apprehending Jack the Ripper was more important. I knew they intended to kill her. I knew, and I let her die... along with my aunt." Ciel corrected.

"You regret what you did, my lord?" Undertaker questioned.

"No, I don't. Jack the Ripper is gone forever, and I've done exactly as Her Majesty asked of me." Ciel replied.

"Victoria, eh? I don't much like her. She just sits back and watches while you do all her dirty work for her. Doesn't seem fair to me." Undertaker spoke.

"That's what the Phantomhives do, it's our duty, passed down through generations along with this ring." Ciel said while looking at his ring.

"That ring reminds me of a collar a master puts on a dog. You're forever tied to the Queen by the leash of duty." Undertaker pointed out.

"I chose this life! Stop—!"

Undertaker grabbed Ciel by his tie and looked at him. "Lord Phantomhive, you should be wary of the path down which duty will take you; that collar may choke you yet!" He warned before releasing him, making Ciel stumble into Sebastian's arms. "And we wouldn't want that now, would we?" He said while giving him the roses.

"Do come by if you should need my assistance again." He said as he gave you a quick hug and walked away. "You, that hilarious Isabella and butler of yours are always welcome." He stated with a laugh as he disappeared down the hill.

**. . .**

It was sundown and you all still stood at the grave site. You walked up behind Ciel and placed his coat on his shoulders after he put the roses on her grave. "It was noble." You stated.

"Don't make me repeat myself. What I did wasn't noble..." He said while looking back at you.

"I thought it was, but you think not, then maybe, it was weakness." You inquired as you leaned down to him.

"What?!" He questioned as he looked at you.

"Tell me, why didn't you kill her? She didn't hesitate on killing me, and it seemed like she was going to take your life, as well. You could have stopped her. Even then, you refused to draw your gun. Why, master? Were you afraid of killing Madam Red? With your own hands? Would it have been easier for you if she was a stranger instead of someone who was your own flesh and blood?" You curiously inquired.

"I held back because it was your jobs." He simply said. You were taken back by his answer. "I knew that you would protect me even at the cost of your own life. That's why I didn't draw my gun on her. It's like I said, you are only a pawn."

Even Sebastian had looked at him in surprise.

Ciel looked between you both, his eyes landing on Sebastian. "Our contract demands that you serve me, and that you protect me with your very life until I achieve my goal." He said, before looking back at you. "I know not of your contract, but it is clear you will stay true to your word, until my death. Until that time I'm not worried for my safety." He said as he looked back at the grave.

"I imagine you demons know nothing of "principles" or "loyalty," but you do know about deals. And so because of the deals we have made, you'll both protect me no matter the circumstance. Am I wrong?" He questioned.

"Of course not, but you stopped me from killing her as well." Sebastian pointed out.

"After she had nearly killed Isabella and looked at me, there was hesitation in her eyes. I didn't think she'd be able to do it... not to me, her kin, her sister's son. One wrong move can cost your life. Just like chess. She hesitated and lost sight of her next move. That's all there is to it." He stated, before walking away.

"That's why I don't hesitate." He said as he passed you both.

Yours and Sebastian's eyes widened and you looked at each other, then him. Sebastian smirked. "Now that's what I expect to hear. Always skillfully manipulate your pieces, that's how you survive. Use us, and Madam Red, any piece within your reach. Even if the bodies of your pawns pile up at the foot of your throne...Because if the king falls, this game is over." He said, making Ciel stop.

"I won't hesitate, I won't regret the moves I've made." He said, before turning back and looking at the both of you. "Isabella, Sebastian... you, you two are the only ones who can never betray me. And you can never leave my side. That's an order!" He ordered as the wind picked up.

You both bowed down to him. "Yes, my young lord." You both said.

_I will be there, anywhere you wish us to follow. Even if your throne crumbles, your brilliant crown rusts, and a mountain of bodies piles at your feet...I will stay beside you. We will sit side by side atop your fallen pawns...until the last bell tolls...I will be there._


	14. His Maid, Merrymaking: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My young master has been ordered to develop a certain village into a recreational estate for the Queen.  
> Maybe there is something to that nickname of his, "the Queen's guard dog." Perhaps it's truer than I thought. Wag your tail, fetch, good boy.
> 
> Next time on Black Butler: "His Maid, Merrymaking."
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

4 hours.  
  
4 hours submerged in water, surrounded by darkness and warmth. Your body felt as if it were floating with your arms and legs cold, yet the rest was completely warm.  
  
After the incident with Jack the Ripper and Madam Red's funeral, you have been more distant and cold towards the servants, Sebastian, and Ciel, however you do continue on being one hell of a maid, just one with very little patience.  
  
A knock on the door made your red eyes snap open. You heard the door open, so you rose up from beneath the water with your hair slapping against your back.  
  
 You turned to see Sebastian, staring down at you with a smile.  
  
You glared at him. "Is there a reason why you are wasting my time by interrupting me with your presence?"  
  
He chuckled. "What rude language for such a refined and proper lady."  
  
You ran your fingers through your black hair, lightly scraping your skin with your sharp nails. "I am no lady and I am certainly not a proper one at that." You said as you stood up and faced him.   
  
As you stood up, Sebastian's eyes raked over your nude body, but he locked eyes with you once you faced him. "I am only another heartless and sadistic demon, serving my master." You coldly stated.  
  
He rose an eyebrow with a smirk. "How curious. You never cease to surprise me, Isabella." He said as he reached behind him and held out a towel to you.  
  
You snatched the towel from him and wrapped it around yourself, before stepping out of the bath. "You still haven't answered me." You said as you walked out of the bathroom and into your room with him following you.  
  
"The young master has called for us." He informed as you removed your towel and wrapped it around your head, walking to your bed that already had your clothes laid out.  
  
"More dreadful, irritating and impossible deeds, I assume?" You inquired as you began to get dressed.  
  
He tilted his head in curiosity at you as you pulled up your stockings and corset. You removed your towel and bent over to dry your hair.  
  
You straightened up and dropped the towel on your bed, before suddenly wincing by the strings of your corset being pulled.  
  
 You turned and glared at Sebastian, who only smiled and pulled them tighter.  
  
 "This new tone of yours seems to only increase my infatuation of you." He stopped to pull your strings tighter. "However..."  
  
He suddenly grabbed you and turned you around to face him. "Most likely, the young master will not tolerate it, so I recommend you remain neutral in his presence." He stated in a serious tone. "We wouldn't want him to get upset, now would we?" He smiled.  
  
**. . .**  
  
"A holiday, young master, in this season?" You questioned as you stood next to Sebastian in front of Ciel's desk in his study as Ciel sipped his tea and ate his Charlotte cake.  
  
"Yes, indeed. Tell me, have either of you ever heard of a pastime known as bear-baiting?" Ciel asked as he put down his cup.  
  
You shared a look with Sebastian, then looked back at Ciel. "The notion does sound entertaining, but I'm afraid we've not heard of it. Indulge us, sir?" Sebastian asked.  
  
"A bear is chained to a fence. It is then surrounded by vicious dogs which slowly bite and kill it." Ciel explained.  
  
"That sounds like something that only a human would dream of." You said with a forced smile.  
  
"It was banned back in 1835 when the Cruelty to Animals Act was instated. However, there was still a loophole: the attack dogs they used were not banned. So a new game developed." Ciel stated.  
  
You put a finger under your chin. "They use dogs to attack dogs. Let's see... Would that be 'dog-baiting'?"  
  
"There's a village in which it's quite popular, known as Houndsworth. It has long been known for raising fierce hunting dogs, but they take it further." He said as he took a bite of the pie.  
  
"It breaks her Majesty's heart. So we'll secure the village as land for a royal estate, a simple pretext to end the atrocities." Ciel informed as he sat back in his chair.  
  
"A village full of dogs?" Sebastian asked.  
  
"Yes, why?" Ciel questioned.  
  
"Well, please forgive me, master, this seems a rather insignificant task for one of your station to take on." Sebastian said with his hand across his heart.  
  
"Sebastian." You scolded, making him look at you in surprise. "You should know by now that he has his reasons. This is indeed a task fit for a Phantomhive."  
  
He gave you a look as Ciel smirked.  
  
**. . .**  
  
"Holiday, holiday, we're going on holiday!" The servants all cheered as they rode in the cart behind the carriage Ciel rode in and you and Sebastian were driving.  
  
"This is so exciting! I can't believe it!" Finny exclaimed in disbelief.  
  
"Spectacular! He's actually bringing us! We get to go on holiday at the Queen's own resort!" Mey-Rin said in excitement.  
  
"Looks like the young master can be quite generous when the spirits move him, eh?" Bard said.  
  
"Mmm-hmm!" They hummed in agreement.  
  
"Do you hear how happy they are?" Sebastian said as he drove. "They're very grateful to you. Such a kind young master." He smiled.  
  
"I couldn't leave them there alone. I might come home to find the manor in shambles." Ciel stated.  
  
"Yes, indeed." You agreed just as the carriage pulled to a stop in front of a sign reading 'Welcome to Houndsworth'  
  
"It seems we've arrived at the village, everyone." You announced as you looked back at them.  
  
"All right!" They shouted as they leaned forward, only to scream in horror at the sight of the large, dead tree with dog collars on it and cow skulls surrounding it.  
  
"Oh yes, I forgot to mention something: the resort that the Queen is planning has yet to be constructed." Ciel informed.  
  
"Yes, master." They said with frowns on their faces.  
  
"Ho ho..." Tanaka laughed from the driver's seat of the cart.  
  
**. . .**  
  
It seemed the deeper you got into Houndsworth, the more foggy it got as the scenery became more and more gloomy and creepy. "Look, somebody actually lives here!" Finny exclaimed as he pointed towards an old woman on the side of the road with a baby stroller.  
  
"Tanaka, stop!" He shouted, which Tanaka did, making Sebastian also stop. "Let me help you, Granny!" Finny jumped out the cart and ran to the woman.  
  
"No, you shouldn't do that, Finny! If you aren't careful, you might hurt the baby!" Mey-Rin warned, but Finny had already lifted up the stroller in the air.  
  
"What did you say?" He asked, before his eyes widened.  
  
"I'm so sorry!" Finny apologized as he put it down.  
  
"Oh, this is awful! Is the baby okay?!" Mey-Rin frantically asked as she and Bard leaned over and looked inside.  
  
Their jaws dropped as they stared at the cow skull that was wrapped in a blanket inside the stroller.  
  
"There is no baby. There is no baby anymore. The child was eaten by it." The old woman muttered, before walking off with the stroller.  
  
**_♪The white dog is a good dog, a good dog, good. The black dog is a bad dog, a bad dog, bad.  He'll eat your flesh down to the bone, down to the bone♪_** She sang as she disappeared into the fog with you all staring after her.  
  
"That's why we're here. Apparently a lot of the villagers have been violently killed or gone missing. The village has shrunk to a third of its size in the last ten years. A part of my task is to find out why, then put an end to the problem." Ciel stated as he looked away while you and Sebastian stared at the fog she had disappeared in.  
**  
. . .**  
  
Once you all got through the fog and approached the actual town, a large lake came into view with clear blue water, making the servants gasp in awe. "Oi, it's startin' to look like a place we're stayin'!" Bard said with a grin.  
  
**. . .**  
  
As Sebastian pulled into town and the carriage ran across a bridge, you passed by a man who was training his dog. "Sit." The dog obeyed. "Lie down." It did. "Who's the good boy! My good boy!" He said as he pulled the dog into his arms.  
  
"Oh my! I'd let him pet me, yes I would!" Mey-Rin marveled as she blushed at him.  
  
"He manipulates the creature with rewards and punishments. He commands the mutt's obedience, but the dog isn't blameless either. It fawns on its human, and welcomes the chain around its neck." Sebastian listed as he directed the horses though the town's streets. "I can't understand it."  
  
"If you're trying to get at something deeper, just say it." Ciel said in slight annoyance.  
  
"No, it's nothing of import, my lord." Sebastian reassured, before looking at you.  
  
"Simply that while I love cats..." He began while smirking at you, but you ignored him and look away. "I'm not especially fond of dogs." He said, before turning to look back at Ciel. "To be completely frank, I hate them." He said with a smile, making you raise an eyebrow.  
  
Ciel stared at him for a moment. "Woof."  
  
Sebastian's smile dropped as one formed on your face.  
  
"Do you share the same hatred as well, Isabella?" Ciel questioned.  
  
You looked back at him. "Actually, I find them quite interesting."  
  
He rose an eyebrow at you with a smirk. "Funny that you would say that."  
  
"Well, in a way, we are quite alike. Obedient, loyal, as long as we are rewarded, we remain obedient...like a good dog." You stated as you looked back at Sebastian, who focused on the road.  
  
"Besides, like cats, dogs are very lovable and get along much better than you think."  
  
**. . .  
**  
Sebastian pulled into the path of the mansion you were heading towards and drove to the main entrance just as a woman wearing a purple maid's uniform walked out and stopped on your side as Sebastian stopped.  
  
"I presume this is the Earl of Phantomhive?" She inquired.  
  
You looked down at her. She had short white hair and purple eyes with a sweet smile plastered on her face.

  
  
"Yes." You replied.  
  
"Welcome to Barrymore Castle. My master awaits your arrival." She said with a bow.  
  
You and Sebastian stared down at her in slight suspicion while the servants all marveled at how pretty she was.  
  
The one type of person you never trust is someone who is too nice. That, and she seemed familiar to you, somehow.  
  
"Hey..." Bard said with a smirk.  
  
"She's lovely, yes she is!" Mey-Rin exclaimed while Finny only gaped and blushed at her.  
  
You and Sebastian climbed down from the driver's seats. Sebastian went and helped Ciel down while you kept staring at the maid.  
  
She smiled at you again. "Hello, my name is Angela Blanc, I am the head maid here." She said with another bow.  
  
You didn't smile back, but you bowed. "I am Isabella Brieris , head maid of the Phantomhive household."  
  
Her smile widened. "Isabella, you have a lovely name and I am glad there will be another head maid here. Things do tend to get very hectic."  
  
You hummed. "I wonder why that is."  
  
The sound of someone clearing their throat made you turn around to see Ciel looking at you with a bored expression. "If you are quite finished, perhaps we can move this along before more time is wasted." He said with a hand on his hip.  
  
"Apologies, young master." You said while bowing your head.  
  
"Unload the cart until we return." Ciel ordered towards the servants, who all nodded.  
  
"Please, if you would follow me." Angela said as she walked in front with Ciel, you and Sebastian following.  
  
You all followed her through the manor, until she stopped in front of a door. "This way." She said as she opened it and allowed you all to enter.  
  
You all stopped inside and looked around the room that had different dog heads mounted on the walls.  
  
You turned your attention to the sound of Angela whimpering. She was on the floor with a man, presumably her master, standing over her and hitting her with a whip. "Who the hell is this Chihuahua?! I told you to bring me the Queen's guard dog when he arrived!" He yelled as he continued to hit her.  
  
"'Chihuahua'...?" You questioned as you looked at Ciel.  
  
"Can't you... do... anything?!" He whipped her with Angela now starting to cry.  
  
"Move, Isabella." Ciel ordered.  
  
Just as he went to hit her again, he was stopped by your hand tightly gripping his wrist. "What are you doing, you filthy Dane?! Somebody should train you better! Let me go right now!"  
  
"She's acting on my orders." Ciel spoke up, making him look at him.  
  
"Who are you?!" He questioned.  
  
"From the sound of it, you have already received the letter I sent. My name is Ciel, the Earl of Phantomhive." Ciel said as Sebastian pulled out a chair and Ciel sat down, resting his arm on the back and twirling his cane.  
  
He pulled himself from your grip with you releasing him with a smile.  
  
"Do you mean to tell me a toy poodle like you is the Queen's emissary?!" He questioned as he rubbed his wrist.  
  
"You don't like small breeds, Lord Henry? Now that's hardly fair." Ciel said with a smirk.  
  
**. . .**  
  
You and Sebastian stood behind Angela who had wheeled in a cart of tea while Ciel and Lord Henry sat across from each other.  
  
Angela picked up the tea cup with shaky hands as she also picked up the tea pot. Noticing this, Sebastian leaned forward "Please, miss, allow me." He whispered. She handed him the pot and cup and moved aside.  
  
Lord Henry threw down a stack of papers on the table. "There's nothing to discuss. Under no circumstances will I sell Barrymore Castle to anybody." He said while crossing his arms.  
  
"Why is that?" Ciel asked.  
  
"Because of the curse."  
  
"Oh, what curse?" Ciel asked.  
  
"This village and its dogs have existed for centuries. Anyone who interferes with us will be cursed, in a most horrible way." He stood up and slammed his hands on the table. "Even the Queen cannot lift the curse! Your mission is pointless! Anyone who acts against the wishes of the Barrymore family is destined to meet an unimaginably terrible end!"  
  
Ciel only smiled. "My, how interesting."  
  
"What?!"  
  
Ciel leaned back in his chair. "You've piqued my curiosity. I'd like to see this dreadful curse of yours, Lord Henry." He seemed to growl at Ciel in anger.  
  
**. . .  
  
*Later that Night in Ciel's room***  
  
"For the last time, I said no!" Ciel yelled as he tried to focus on reading his book.  
  
"Come now, my lord, don't be so difficult." You said as you stood behind his chair.  
  
He shook his head. "I don't see why it matters so much. It's already late and it's fine the way it is, I don't need to "softly stroked" or whatever it is you said."  
  
"It wouldn't hurt, sir." Sebastian agreed from the other side of the room as he brushed Ciel's clothing for tomorrow.  
  
Ciel sighed in annoyance. "Fine."  
  
 You smiled and picked up a brush and ran your hand through Ciel's hair, until a knock came from the door. "Come in." Ciel answered and the door opened to reveal Angela.  
  
"I apologize for calling so late."  
  
"What is that you need? Our young master is about to retire for the evening." You asked.  
  
"I have a request to make. Leave the castle, leave the village completely! You mustn't stay here." She warned.  
  
"Why is that?" Ciel asked, not looking away from his book as you brushed his hair.  
  
"I can't say..." She said, before you suddenly heard a loud howl from outside.  
  
"No! The demon hound! It's coming!" She exclaimed while shaking in fear.  
  
"The what?" Ciel questioned as he stood up. You all turned to see a shadow of a large dog behind the curtain covering the window.  
  
"Isabella!" Ciel yelled, since you were closest. You ran to the window and opened the curtain, but it was gone.  
  
Ciel and Sebastian ran up beside you. "What was that thing?" Ciel questioned.  
  
"Master, look there." Sebastian pointed at a figure of what looked like a glowing animal running in the distance.  
  
**. . .**  
  
You all went outside and Ciel bent down to inspect the trail of glowing, shimmering tracks. He poked it with his finger and sniffed it with a hum.  
  
"Master! Angela!" You all turned to see the servants, all in pajamas come running outside.  
  
"What's goin' on here?! What's all the fuss about?!" Bard exclaimed as he held his pillow to his chest.  
  
"The demon hound is here." Angela said.  
  
"Demon hound?" They all questioned.  
  
"It brings great catastrophe to the village. Anyone who dares to defy my master will be punished by the demon hound. That's the law here; there is no way to stop it." She stated.  
  
"Angela!" You looked to see a mob of villagers come up. "Please wake Lord Barrymore at once. The demon hound has come again." One of them said.  
  
"Who was the punished one?" She asked.  
  
**. . .**  
  
They lead you all over to a body of the man you saw training his dog earlier, only now he wasn't so happy.  
  
"How awful." Bard commented as Ciel bent down and examined the body.  
  
"Stand back, don't touch!" Lord Henry yelled as he walked up behind you and looked at the body.  
  
"I see it was James then. He was the bad dog."  
  
"Yes. He broke the legal restriction on dog ownership. He had six dogs, one more than is allowed." One of the villagers informed.  
  
"A sixth dog. Then this was inevitable." He stated.  
  
"That's all you can say?! Really?!" Bard questioned.  
  
"This village is under my rule and no other. The demon hound protects that rule. As the guardian of the Barrymore family, it punishes anyone and everyone who dares to challenge me!"  
  
_**♪ The white dog is a good dog, a good dog, good. The black dog is a bad dog, a bad dog, bad. He'll eat your flesh down to the bone, down to the bone. He'll gobble you up until you're gone, until you're gone. Lullaby, the sun sets, lullaby and good night ♪**_ The villagers chanted as they picked up the body and all walked back to town.  
  
"I was sure you outsiders were going to be its next prey...You were lucky to have escaped." Lord Henry said before he and Angela followed after the villagers.  
  
"Well, master?" You asked as you glanced at him. He only watched them leave with a smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! How Ya doing? Awesome! 
> 
> Anyways, Iam starting to take requests now, if anyone wishes to have a small part in the story for 1, maybe 2 episodes. If you would like a part, just tell me your name, physical description, way of speaking maybe, and if you wanna be a victim, murderer, or even that one church chick Sebastian did. I'm open to all suggestions!


	15. His Maid, Merrymaking: 2/ Training: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It appears the so called 'Demon Hound' case has finally come to an end.
> 
> Then again...looks can be deceiving.

Later that night after the incident with the so called 'demon hound', you decided to explore the town more to get a look for what it really is.  
  
The next morning after, you returned to the manor, but stopped at the sight of the three servants, sulking by the side of the house.  
  
"This has gotta be the worst holiday ever." Bard complained with his head down.  
  
"The worst, yes it is." Mey-Rin agreed.  
  
"What's the matter?" You asked as you walked up to them. "You were so excited on the way here."  
  
"Yeah, well, that was before..." Bard said.  
  
"Don't look so gloomy." You said with a smile, before holding up a picnic basket and swimsuit. "We're on a holiday, it's a time meant for relaxing." Huge smiles broke out on their faces as they perked up.  
  
**. . .  
**   
"Yeeeaaahhh!!" "Aahh hahaha!" Bard and Finny cheered as they ran and jumped into the pond.  
You smiled at them as you stood beside Ciel who sat on a chair, reading a book while Sebastian poured his tea.  
  
"Don't you care to bathe with them, young master?" Sebastian asked, but Ciel only turned the page. "Oh, I see. Is that the problem? The master can't—"  
  
"I don't see why they're making such a fuss about this little pond. Just because you can bathe doesn't make it a resort." Ciel interrupted.  
  
"You still intend to make this place into a resort then?" You asked.  
  
"Naturally." He replied.  
  
"But what about this great demon hound?" You questioned.  
  
Ciel slightly laughed. "Surely you know as well as I by now. This demon hound is no dog."  
You smiled. "Shall we discuss it further?" He asked while looking up at you from his book.  
  
"Only if you wish to, sir." You replied.  
  
He gestured for you both to come closer and you and Sebastian moved on either side of him. He leaned in and whispered his orders in both of your ears. "Now go."  
  
You both smiled. "Yes, very well, master." You said as you stood up.  
  
"You may consider it done." Sebastian said before you both started walking away, but stopped when Ciel spoke.  
  
"You're very cooperative, Sebastian. Especially for someone who hates dogs."  
  
Sebastian looked back at him. "Yes, I detest them. That's why I'd like to finish this as quickly as possible." He said before you both started to walk again.  
  
"Yes, preferably, before it all goes to hell." You added.  
**  
**. . .  
  
After you and Sebastian had finished finding evidence for Ciel's theory, you both were heading back to the pond, but stopped at the sight of a gathering crowd.  
  
You both looked at each other and followed after. Your eyes went wide at the sight of Ciel chained to the wall and the servants bound to a pillar.  
  
"You're so pathetic. You rely on lowly tricks to retain your meager power.  
If there's a stubborn dog here, I'd say I'm looking at him." Ciel spat at Lord Henry.  
  
"Is that your final choice? You can learn what happens to a dog that challenges me! Get him!" He ordered as a set of vicious dogs were released, but before they could get to Ciel, you and Sebastian jumped in front of him and kicked all the dogs away, making them fly and land hard on the ground.  
  
"You cut that close." Ciel muttered.  
  
"It won't happen again, trust me." You stated as you pulled down your gloves.  
  
"You dare to interfere, dogs?" Barrymore questioned. "Well, what are you mangy mutts waiting for?! Kill all of them now!" He ordered as another set of dogs all looked at you and growled.  
  
"Shameful. What coarse, noisy growls they have...One of the reasons I despise these creatures." Sebastian muttered as he stared at them with his eyes turning demonic.  
  
They all whimpered and lied down before you, making the crowd gasp. "What the hell?! What did you do?!" Lord Henry questioned.  
  
"Your pitiful farce ends here, Barrymore! Listen, there is no demon hound! It's all a lie! There's just him, an old man obsessed with power, determined to keep it no matter what!" Ciel yelled.  
  
"What?! What evidence do you have?" Barrymore demanded.  
  
"There's this." Sebastian said as he walked over to one of the dead dogs and took out it's skull. "We found it in your mansion. We took the liberty of confirming that the teeth marks on James matched the teeth in this skull." He held it up.  
  
"Do you see it now?" Sebastian said as he pointed at the sky, which showed the same dog silhouette you saw last night. Everyone looked up at it. "The truth behind the demon hound. Its shadow is nothing but a projection. Just a transparent trick."  
  
"The glowing is phosphorescent dust sprinkled on a normal dog." You stated as you took out a bottle and poured the dust out on the ground.  
  
"The demon dog is merely an illusion, a story made up by an evil man.  
The man you let rule your village. This man, Henry Barrymore!" Ciel yelled.  
  
"No! It's all nonsense! You can't fool them! Where's your evidence?" Barrymore questioned.  
  
Ciel smirked as you walked over to the dog that belonged to the victim, that was now on the verge of death from being attacked.  
  
You knelt down and petted the dog. "You can rest. Your duty is done. We'll take it from here."  
  
You then pulled a piece of fabric from it's mouth and stood up. "What fine material. I wonder why the dog was eager to hold on to it until the last moment. Interesting behavior, don't you think?" You turned and showed the fabric which matched Barrymore's pants.  
  
He looked at you in shock. "Wh-What the hell?!"  
  
"Yours. A scrap of cloth from your pants, torn off by James' dog when you attacked his master. You recognize it, yes?" You asked.  
  
He glared at you and turned to run away, but was blocked by the mob of angry citizens.  
  
"Give up, Barrymore! It's all over now!" Ciel yelled as one of the citizens pulled his pant leg up, revealing bite marks.  
  
The people lifted him up and carried him away while chanting. "Punish James' killer! Punish James' killer!"  
  
With Barrymore pleading. "No, please, stop!"  
  
**. . .**  
  
You untied the servants as Sebastian released Ciel from his chains. "My goodness, I'm glad that's over, yes I am!" Mey-Rin exclaimed as Finny knelt down to the dead victim's now dead dog.  
  
"You were one amazing pup. A loyal dog defending his master to the very end..." He picked up it's body and held it close. "You were a good boy... Such a good boy..." He said as he began to cry into it.  
  
"There you go. Yet another reason that I hate dogs." Sebastian muttered as you all stared at him.  
**  
**. . .  
  
Night had fallen as the skies were grey and the rain beat down upon the manor. "Yet another case closed, eh?" Ciel said as he gazed out the window of his room while you and Sebastian packed his clothes. "We can leave the village when the rain lets up."  
  
"Indeed." You replied.  
  
"Waaaaaahhh!" Your head shot up as a loud scream echoed throughout the manor.  
  
"What was that?!" Ciel questioned, before you all took off running out of the room.  
  
You all ran down to the dungeon and stopped at the sight of Barrymore, gone, a pile of blood and a hole in the brick wall.  
  
"Where is Lord Barrymore?" Angela questioned as she ran up behind you. A sudden pounding on the front door made you all turn around and head to the front.  
  
Angela opened the door, revealing a man who fell to the floor while heavily breathing. "The demon hound... The great hound is here." He said as he looked up.  
  
"The hound?!" Everyone questioned.  
  
**. . .**  
  
After grabbing your coats, you all ran outside, back to where you first found Ciel and the servants. You stopped, seeing the crowd of villagers, all on the floor, chanting.  
  
"What's happening?" Sebastian questioned.  
  
_**♪ Lullaby, the sun sets, lullaby and good night ♪**_  
  
"Snap out of it! What you all doin'?!" Bard yelled, but they ignored him.  
  
A sudden flash of lightning came, it was enough to light up and reveal Lord Henry's body, leaning up against the wall, making the servants scream.  
  
Ciel looked at you and Sebastian and you both walked through the crowd and to the body. As you both knelt down, Sebastian lifted up his arm, showing his hand bitten off.  
  
"Oh great demon hound!" "Please, please, oh, please!" "Demon hound, please forgive us!" They all pleaded as the rain beat down.  
  
. . .  
  
You, Ciel, Sebastian, and the servants stood in the drawing room of Barrymore's mansion. "Well, this is unfortunate, master. To think all this happening after the case was closed. I'm sure you're a bit... annoyed?" You looked down at Ciel with a smirk as where he sat.  
  
"Are you quite finished?" Ciel said in annoyance.  
  
"Where is Angela?" Sebastian asked.  
  
"We left her resting up in her bed for now. She seems tired, yes she does." Mey-Rin answered.  
  
"So painful to watch. Poor bird." Bard stated.  
  
"This village isolated itself completely from the rest of society out of fear of the demon hound's curse...I thought for certain the hound was an illusion created by Lord Barrymore so he could firmly rule the village. But with him dead... I need to rethink things." Ciel said.  
  
"He was covered in bite wounds... Maybe the villagers are right. Maybe it really was the demon hound." Bard suggested.  
  
"Maybe he's upset at being blamed for Lord Henry's misdeeds." Mey-Rin added.  
  
"Yes, maybe. For now, there's only one thing we know: it wasn't human." You stated.  
  
"The hound then." Bard said.  
  
Ciel sighed and rubbed his head. "No matter, it's been a long night. I shall retire and think more of this in the morning." Ciel said as he stood and walked away with Sebastian following.  
  
"Isabella, you come as well." He called.  
  
"Yes, sir." You replied as you followed.  
  
**. . .**  
  
You stood behind Sebastian as he finished dressing Ciel for bed, with Ciel staring at you as he did.  
  
You tilted your head. "Is something the matter?"  
  
"It's about what you said earlier, how you phrased it. What you said was this wasn't human work. What if that bloody reaper has gotten himself involved in this?" Ciel questioned, referring to Grell.  
  
You slightly laughed. "It seems you're learning faster every day. I'm so very proud of you, sir. But there is no need to worry. I believe Mey-Rin's thought was not wholly incorrect."  
  
"The hound was after Lord Henry. I don't believe anyone else is in danger of becoming its victim." Sebastian finished as he stood up and put away Ciel's clothes.  
  
"That's not enough information for me to close the case." Ciel said.  
  
"Ah, such loyalty to your Queen. Quite touching, really." He said while putting his clothes in the closet.  
  
"That's not it. At least not all of it. You're usually so calm and steady Sebastian, but this case seems to have you rattled. I'm interested about this issue you have with the dogs." Ciel said with a smirk as Sebastian looked back at him.  
  
You chuckled. "As I said, you learn faster every day."  
  
**. . .**  
  
You opened the doors to the dining room and walked to stand by Sebastian, who was pouring tea for Ciel with Bard and Tanaka watching. "For today's tea we have a cabinet pudding. It was made using local blackberries." You announced as you placed it beside Ciel.  
  
Ciel looked at Sebastian who was smiling. "You're certainly relaxed."  
  
"Because we're in no hurry, sir." Sebastian replied, right before the doors opened with Mey-Rin and Finny running in.  
  
"Sebastian, Isabella, hurry!" Mey-Rin yelled.  
  
"What's the matter this time? Do calm down, please." You said.  
  
"We've looked all over, but we can't find Angela!" Finny shouted.  
  
"Oh, is that all? Yeah, don't worry about it. She said there were some medicinal herbs growing by the fen. She went there to pick some up, that's all." Bard informed.  
  
"Right now? Why would she?" Finny asked.  
  
"She went all alone when there might be a demon hound out there?" Mey-Rin questioned.  
  
Bard thought in realization. "Oh, hell..."  
  
"What was she thinking going out all by herself?" Finny pondered.  
  
"She said she was worried, you know, about you being kind of sick and all." Bard said.  
  
"For me? She went for me?" Finny questioned in disbelief, before running out of the room.  
  
"C'mon, Sebastian! Let's go help him!" Bard said as he ran over.  
  
"Well, er..." Sebastian drifted off.  
  
"Hurry! Are you a red-blooded man or aren't you!" Bard yelled, making you crack a smile.  
  
"Fine, then. Let's go, Mey-Rin."  
  
"Sir, yes, sir!" She saluted.  
  
"Where's Tanaka?" He asked, before turning.  
  
"Ho ho ho ho..." Tanaka laughed, now dressed in a hunter's uniform.  
  
"That's the spirit! Okay, let's move out, men!" Bard yelled.  
  
"Sir, yes, sir!"  
  
"Ho ho ho ho..."  
  
They ran to the door, before Bard stopped and looked back at you. "Come on, Isabella!"  
  
You looked at them and sighed. "Perhaps I should keep an eye on them, sir." You said as you looked at Ciel. He nodded and waved you off. You bowed, before walking after the servants, who were already gone.  
  
Ciel took a bite of his cake and wiped his mouth, before looking at Sebastian. "You know, I'm quite interested. What color is your blood?"  
  
He only stared at him.  
  
"At any rate, it looks as if we do need to hurry now." Ciel said.  
  
Sebastian sighed. "Go out there and put on a good show for me. Am I clear?"  
  
Sebastian looked down at him. "Perfectly, my young lord."


	16. His Maid, Training: 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The howl of a cursed hound echoes through the desolate village.  
> Hmm, it seems the hound's smell is clinging to you.  
> Master, if we're through here, I think it's time for a bath.  
> We must soak you in a tub and scrub you one hundred times.  
> One, two, three...
> 
> Next time on Black Maid: "His Maid, Training."
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

The sound of your footsteps crushing the leaves of the forest erupted as you followed after the servants.  
  
You weren't in a hurry, so you took your time to fully look at the trees and environment. But, when you heard a howl in the distance, you sped up and ran, stopping once you saw the servants cowering.  
  
You looked ahead, seeing a mass graveyard through the fog made up of severed limbs, but what caught your attention was the large white dog with red eyes, standing a few feet from them.  
  
It growled as a breath of fire roared from it's mouth. "It's the demon hound!" The servants yelled.  
  
It sprinted towards them with its claws stretched out. They screamed, until you jumped in front of them and tackled the hound to the side.  
  
"Isabella!" They screamed as you wrestled with it.  
  
"Now, now, there's no need for that." You said as it clawed your arm. "You really are a bad dog, aren't you?" It responded by growling.  
  
You rubbed his large belly and it stopped growling. Instead, it rose it's head and licked your face. "You're not the first hound of hell I've dealt with, but you certainly are a playful one." It rolled over, making you land on the ground and hovered over you.  
  
It rose it's paw and playfully striked down, most likely for you to pet, but it was stopped by Sebastian.  
  
"Would you look at that. So well-trained, you even know how to shake hands." He said. It growled at him.  
  
"Must you always interrupt my fun, Sebastian?" You questioned.  
  
"But I'm afraid, well-trained or not, you were near to having your way with my future mate, so you'll have to go now!" He said as he flipped the dog over, making it land on it's back.  
  
"Come, this is no time to be playing with a puppy." You all turned, seeing Ciel.  
  
"Master!" The servants yelled.  
  
"Certainly. I shall finish it off at once." Sebastian said as you jumped off the ground and landed beside Ciel.  
  
The demon hound stood up and focused on Sebastian, who smirked. "It smells irresistible, doesn't it, dog?  
This is what you want, right?" He took out a box of Inukko treats. "Inukko, the treat no dog can refuse."  
  
"Dog treats?" Bard asked.  
  
The dog howled and charged for Sebastian. "Look out, Sebastian!" Mey- Rin warned.  
  
"There is only one way to properly train a bad dog. You must teach the creature to obey your every command." Sebastian stated as his eyes turned demonic.  
  
"Using rewards and punishments! Firstly, reward!" He yelled as he jumped up and flipped, landing on it's neck and starting to bite the hound's nose, making it close it's eyes and moan.  
  
Everyone stared at Sebastian at a loss of words as if he was dancing naked with an English mug and screaming 'Ole!'.  
  
"Okay, what's he doing now?" Finny quietly asked.  
  
"I guess this is... training?" Mey-Rin said.  
  
"Is this honestly the way to tame a demon hound?" Ciel whispered.  
  
"In his own way, I suppose." You answered as you looked at him strangely.  
  
"And now..." Sebastian jumped up, making the hound whine. "Punish!" He came down and kicked the side of it's face, making it fall to the side.  
  
"Reward." He showed the box of treats, making the hound spring up and bark while wagging it's tail.  
  
"Punish!" He punched it's jaw and it fell back. "Reward." He knelt down and rubbed it's tummy. "Punish!" He jumped down on it's stomach.  
  
"Puuuunish!" He grabbed it by the tail and swung it around, before letting it go. It howled as it flew and landed against a cliff, making everyone 'Ooh' and 'Aah'.  
  
"Well, I suppose I did ask him to put on a good show." Ciel stated.  
  
"Perhaps you overlooked the kind of show a demon would do." You said as you looked down at him.  
  
"And finally..." Sebastian looked up, his eyes glowing pink. "A hug!" He ran towards the hound and swooped it up in a hug.  
  
You all watched them soar in the air, before falling and crashing into the ground, creating a large cloud of dust. Once the dust cleared, all that remained was a large hole in the ground.  
  
"Sebastian!" Finny called as he and the servants ran to the hole with you and Ciel following.  
  
"Uhh, hello?" Bard called as he looked down it.  
  
Ciel stepped up and looked down it with his hands on his hips. "Quit dawdling down in that hole! Get back here right now!"  
  
"Yes, sir." Sebastian's voice echoed from beneath it. The ground started to shake as a fountain of water began to rise up from the hole. You grabbed Ciel and pushed him back as the servants made a break for it just as the water shot up and erupted, it spewing into the air.  
  
Drops of water rained down and landed on Finny. "Ow, ow, hot!" He cried.  
  
"Oi, what is this, a hot spring?" Bard questioned. "  
  
"Um, where's Sebastian?" Finny asked as you all stared at the fountain of water.  
  
"This village is intended to be a resort for the Queen. It needs a central attraction." You simply said a a figure appeared inside the curtain of water.  
  
"Or more specifically... luxury, a way for visitors to relax and forget their cares. That's what we have here: a natural hot spring." Sebastian stated as he stood on top of the geyser, now holding a naked man with white hair.  
  
"Wow, he's amazing!" Mey-Rin exclaimed.  
  
"Ohh." Tanaka marveled. Sebastian jumped down and landed in front of the water that was still spewing.  
  
"If I couldn't find a hot spring or two for my master, well, then what kind of butler would I be? The idea is simply unthinkable." He said right before the naked man started to lick his face, triggering a nose bleed from Mey-Rin.  
  
"I don't know how much more scenes I can take!" She covered her nose and looked away.  
  
"Pluto!" A voice called.  
  
You all turned and saw Angela running towards you. "Pluto?" Bard questioned as the man jumped out of Sebastian's arms and ran towards her.  
  
"Good boy. My good boy." She smiled as he licked her face.  
  
**. . .**  
  
By sunset, Angela sat on the ground with Pluto asleep on her lap as you all stood before her. "I'm sorry for the confusion. This is Pluto, I found him last month." She spoke.  
  
"I've always been a big dog lover.  
And he was so adorable, I absolutely had to take him in." She said while petting his head.  
  
"'Adorable'?" Mey-Rin and Finny questioned.  
  
"He does have a bad habit of turning human when he gets excited." Angela innocently said.  
  
"A "habit"! You call it a "habit"?!" Bard yelled.  
  
"So you sheltered and fed him for a month without telling anybody else?" You questioned.  
  
She looked up at you. "That's right. Lord Barrymore used the legend of the demon hound to control the villagers, but in truth he feared the hound more than anyone else. I didn't know what would happen to Pluto if he found out...I see now I was too indulgent. I never thought this sweet boy would hurt Lord Barrymore..."  
  
She looked over at Ciel. "I beg you, sir! Please take him with you! I know it's an imposition, but would you bring him to live at the Phantomhive manor?" She begged, making Sebastian's eyes widen.  
  
"You want us to keep that monster?!" Bard yelled.  
  
"He needs a firm hand. I think if both Isabella and Sebastian were there to train him, he would become a good dog." She explained.  
  
"No thank you. I'm a butler, not one hell of a dog trainer." Sebastian bitterly said.  
  
"Why not?" Ciel asked. The servants looked at Ciel while Sebastian narrowed his eyes at him.  
  
"Master..." You looked down at him with a smirk. "Is this an order?"  
  
"It is. I think we'll both find it amusing... in several ways. Don't you agree, Isabella?" He asked with a smile.  
  
You laughed. "Indeed I would, my lord."  
  
Sebastian sighed, right before a rumbling sound came from behind you. You all turned to see the villagers, all dressed in swimsuits, running towards the hot spring.  
  
"The curse of the great demon hound is lifted!" "Oh thank goodness, we're finally free!" They stopped and bowed down to pray at the geyser.  
  
"What's all this about?" Ciel asked.  
  
"My lord, there is a legend in this village. When the sins of our ancestors against dogs have been fully atoned for, the land will weep tears of forgiveness." Angela explained.  
  
"Don't they realize the hot spring has been there under the ground all along?" You pondered as you watched them.  
  
"Likely not. At any rate, our work here is done." Ciel simply said.  
  
"I seem to recall you were forced to eat your words earlier. Would you like to say it again now that it's true?" Sebastian said with a smirk.  
  
"Why don't you do it?" Ciel snapped.  
  
"This case is now officially closed!" Sebastian declared with a hand on his hip.  
  
"You truly are an embarrassment." You muttered.  
  
**. . .**  
  
Ciel sat in the pool of the steaming hot spring, gazing upon the newly developed village. "Excellent. This is just perfect." He stated as you walked up behind him and crouched down.  
  
"Allow me, sir, traditional hot spring service." You placed a tray of tea and crumpets in the water and pushed it over to him. "You see, my lord, this is how the Japanese enjoy hot springs."  
  
He looked down and picked up the cup of tea. "It is a nice addition." He said as he took a sip. He looked upon the joyful villagers as Sebastian walked up next to you.  
  
"That gloomy village has experienced quite a transformation. I imagine it would be enough to dispel the Queen's worries." Ciel stated.  
  
"Something tells me that my worries are only just beginning..." Sebastian said as Pluto dog paddled across the water and howled.  
**  
. . .**  
  
Ciel and the servants sat in the cart and carriage while you and Sebastian watched as Angela placed Pluto's collar around his neck. "Nice and snug. Don't ever forget me, dear Pluto." She said as she kissed his cheek.  
  
"And put some bloody clothes on, alright!? Don't just let it all hang out there! C'mon!" Bard yelled from the cart. Pluto only looked him as Mey-Rin's nose started to bleed again.  
  
"Ah well, it was fun, Angela..." Finny said from behind her.  
  
She turned and walked up to him. "I'm sure we'll meet again someday, my sweet boy." She kissed his cheek, making his face turn red.  
  
"If you're finished, shall we go?" Sebastian asked.  
  
"Certainly. Maybe someday I'll come to visit Pluto at the estate." She said with a closed eye smile as Sebastian climbed in the driver's seat.  
  
"I don't know if that would be a good idea." You said.  
  
She opened her eyes and looked at you. "What?"  
  
You narrowed your eyes. "You were able to tame a demon hound. That's a task not many people could do. You seem to have a talent for wrapping lesser beings around your finger. Not that I'm complaining..." She narrowed her eyes at you.  
  
"Let's go, Isabella." Ciel called from his seat. You bowed, giving her one last glare before climbing in next to Sebastian.  
  
He snapped the reins and the horses began to walk. "Goodbye! I hope we'll see you again!" Finny called while they all waved at Angela, who waved back.  
  
She laughed as she watched the carriage fade into the distance. "One day, you shall."  
**  
. . .**  
  
You knocked on the door of Ciel's study and opened it, walking in and bowing your head before Ciel. "You called for me, sir?" He didn't respond, he only stood up from behind his desk and walked to stand in front of you.  
  
"I have a very important guest arriving tomorrow. He is a valuable associate that I am hoping to gain as my ally."  
  
You rose your head. "And who may this guest be, my lord?"  
  
He smirked. "That isn't important at the moment. However, I do have an order to give you."  
  
You tilted your head. "Yes? Anything, sir."  
  
He leaned against his desk and crossed his arms. "I want you to have the day off tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so...the next episode I will not be doing the His Butler, Phantom Image, because to my eyes, it's irrelevant and I will be replacing it with an episode I feel will help the story line because you will get a look of Yandere! Sebastian...kind of. With His Maid, Day Off!


	17. His Maid, Day Off: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charred dinner. Shattered Plate wear. Obliterated garden. My, it seems the manor will be as distraught as ever. Thanks to the three imbicels, it will be hours until the manor will be returned to it's former glory. My apologies master, but it appears that the full phantomhive hospitality will not be fulfilled for our guest that you have not yet informed me of who that may be. Dear, and here I was looking forward towards a day of enjoyment. Oh well, we will have to make due with the time given.
> 
> Next time on Black Maid: "His Maid, Day off."
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid. 

"You want me to what?"  
  
Your eyes were wide as you stared at Ciel in confusion. "I will not waste my time in repeating myself, Isabella. Now, as of tomorrow, you will not be my servant." He pushed off his desk and walked passed you.   
  
You furrowed your brows and walked after him as he exited the room. "Master, are you trying to rid of me?" You asked from behind him as he walked down the hallway.   
  
"Don't be foolish, if I wanted you gone, I would've ordered Sebastian to pursue you." He said as he passed by the kitchen, not even glancing at the servants who were attempting to create a pyramid of cards on the floor that was covered in oats and flour, with Finny passed out on the counter.  
  
"In all honesty sir, I don't believe he would require an order. Still, why do you wish for me to abandon my duties?" You questioned.  
  
"Simple." He stopped and looked back at you, making you stop in front of him. "I do not require you to do them." He turned and continued walking, leaving you with a perplexed expression.  
  
You sighed and walked after him. "Master—"   
  
"You will do as you wish as long as you want, my only condition is that you are not allowed to work which includes: No helping Sebastian, No cleaning up after the servants, No imposing as your position, and No referring to me as "Master" or "Sir", am I understood?" He questioned.  
  
"Yes master, but I still don't understand why—"   
  
"Why is not important. What is important though, is that you refrain from distracting the servants as they work, so basically, do not disturb Sebastian." He stopped outside of his bedroom door and turned to you.  
  
"And what of our guest, my lord?" You asked.   
  
He stared at you with a ghost of a smirk on his face. "That is for the servants to worry about. All you should be concerned with is how you plan on using your freedom."   
  
You tilted your head. "Master, I have lived a life of servitude since the day of my creation. Freedom is not particularly in my vocabulary."   
  
He laughed. "You are a demon, you could make any human disappear in a matter of seconds, I'm sure you have not always acted as one's slave."   
  
You smiled. "Believe it or not, there are those who overpower even me, my lord."   
  
There was silence as Ciel studied your face, before he looked away and opened the door. "You will retire to your room for the rest of the night and change out of your uniform, I expect to see you in casual clothes tomorrow." He said as he stepped inside and went to close the door.   
  
"Sir, I still don't think now is the best time for—"   
  
"This is an order, Isabella." He cut you off. You stiffened and looked down. "Send up Sebastian, I will tell him of tomorrow's plans. And this is a day off, so at least pretend you enjoy it. I will see you in the morning, Ms. Brieris." He slammed the door, leaving you to stare at it in confusion.  
  
You hummed and stepped away from the door, starting down the hallway.   
__  
A day off, Eh? Interesting...  
  
 **. . .**  
  
The bright light of the heated sun came up, making it's presence known that it was already morning and yet you remained sitting on your bed, mindlessly staring at the door.  
  
You were having an internal battle with yourself on what you could do, since every instinct was telling you to walk out and begin your morning chores. Unfortunately, that would interfere with your orders, so here you were with nothing to do.  
  
Well, it has been a while since you've had a tasty meal, so maybe you would use your time to feed, properly this time.  
  
Or maybe you could visit Undertaker. Most likely, you would be acting as a model for his coffins since for some unknown reason he can never get any volunteers.  
  
You were pulled out of your thoughts at the sound of someone knocking on your door. "(Y/N), are you decent?" You heard Ciel ask from the other side.   
  
"Yes mas—my lord." You corrected yourself.   
  
You stood up as the door opened and Ciel walked in, tossing you a bag of money, which you caught mid air.  
  
You looked down at it in confusion. "There's your long over due payment, now get dressed and go buy yourself something you would expect a lady to wear." He stated while crossing his arms.   
  
You looked at him and tilted your head. "Shopping?"  
  
He nodded. "Yes, now there is a carriage out front that will take you into town and bring you back in about 4 or 5 hours. So do not keep it waiting and hurry up." He uncrossed his arms and walked out.   
  
"Oh!" He poked his head back in. "And try to avoid the color black."   
  
You rose your eyebrows as he shut the door, leaving you even more confused than before.  
  
 **. . .**

  
After digging through your wardrobe, you finally found a dress to your liking. It was the only think that wasn't black or darkly colored and you were sure it would meet Ciel's requirements.  
  
You opened your door and stepped out into the empty hallway. You shut your door and walked down it towards the front, but stopped once the entire manor shook from the loud explosion only a few feet from you.  
  
You ran to the door as Bard stood up with his face charred and hair sticking up.   
"Baldroy!" You yelled, making him turn around, showing the used dynamite sticks in his hands.   
  
His eyes widened when he saw you, but they looked you up and down upon seeing you in a casual emerald dress with your hair up in a high ponytail. The cigar he had in his mouth dropped as he quickly tried to hide the dynamite.  
  
"Mornin' Isabella, you look rather lovely, yes you do!" He exclaimed with a wink.   
  
You sighed and rubbed your head. "What are you doing?"   
  
He nervously laughed. "Oh, I was Uh—I was just—"   
  
"What have I told you about—" You stopped once Sebastian ran into the room, his eyes scanning it and landing on Bard who sweat dropped.   
  
His eyes narrowed, before he looked at you, noticing your clothes. He rose an eyebrow. "Why are you wearing that?"   
  
You tilted your head. "Honestly, I'm still wondering that myself."  
  
"Isabella!" You turned, seeing Ciel there with an annoyed look. "What were your orders? Why are you not at the carriage?"   
  
You bowed your head. "Apologies, my lord, I became distracted." You said while looking back at Bard, who was grinning innocently.   
  
"Sebastian is more than capable on dealing with it, so don't concern yourself. You've wasted enough time, now go!" He practically pushed you down the hall.   
  
"My lord, why are you in such a hurry for me to leave? Surely I'm not that much of a nuisance." You said as you stopped and looked at him.   
  
"Don't flatter yourself, I am very busy and right now I cannot waste the time I have." He pushed you outside in front of the carriage.   
  
"When you return, you will come see me. I want to make sure you spent my money wisely." The driver opened the door and you stepped inside as he spoke. He shut the door and signaled for the driver to go.   
  
"Enjoy yourself!" Ciel shouted as the carriage drove off.  
  
You looked out to see him with his arms crossed, smirking before he went inside. You stared at him in suspicion as he did so.  
  
 **. . .**  
  
Once the carriage came to a halt, the door opened and the driver extended a hand to you. You took it and stepped down, taking in your surroundings of the town square.  
  
"If it's alright with you, miss..." You turned to face the driver. "May I please excuse myself for a while? It's my little Maggie's birthday and I promised I would go with 'er to get a new toy." His face crinkled as a smile broke out across it.  
  
You smiled, before looking across the street at the funeral parlor. "I am a servant, not a lady." You looked back at him. "Take care, you may have as much time as you like."   
  
His smile widened. "Thank you, miss." He turned to leave.   
  
"One moment."   
  
He looked back at you. "Yes miss?"   
  
You pulled out the bag of money Ciel gave you and tossed it to him. He caught it and looked at it with wide eyes. "Oh my! Miss, I simply cannot except this."   
  
You smiled. "It will be more use to you than it would've for me, good sir. Oh and would you perhaps hold today's paper?"   
  
"Certainly!" He went in his jacket pocket and pulled out the paper, tossing it to you. You caught it and opened it to the second page, seeing an article on missing persons. "Thank you...?"   
  
"Winston, miss." He removed his hat and bowed his head.   
  
"Winston, have a good day." You curtsied before walking away.   
  
"Oi, and you have a good one as well, miss!" He called as he drove away.  
  
You crossed the street over to the funeral parlor. The sound of the bell ringing came as you opened the front door and stepped inside. As usual it was dark and silent, which would make any normal human turn back in fear.  
  
You stopped once you heard the sound of someone humming from the back room. You grinned and quietly walked towards it, poking your head inside you saw Undertaker humming as he prepared a woman's dead body.  
  
Your feet made no noise as you walked inside and he grabbed the scissors beside him, starting to cut the blonde's hair. "Why cut it? Why not leave it be?"   
  
He jumped and turned around, pointing the scissors at you as a weapon.  
  
You tilted your head. "I doubt those will be very effective on a being as myself."   
  
He gave a hard laugh and clutched his stomach. "Dearie, don't sneak up on a man while he's working, especially one as old as me." He walked up and wrapped his arms around you.   
  
You laughed and pulled him in tighter. "Don't say such things, you are as handsome as ever, Unnie."  
  
He grinned as he stroked your hair. "You flatter me, Isabella." He released you and looked over your outfit. "Hmm. I see you've taken a new fashion style. As beautiful as you are, I still prefer you in your signature color." You smiled.   
  
"I assume you're here on your own time, so get comfy, you have a lot of coffins to model." He said while pointing a finger at you and focusing back on the woman.  
  
You smirked, before biting the tip of your glove and pulling it off, doing the same for the other. Once you freed your hands, you reached up and removed the clip that held your hair up, letting it fall down your shoulders. Finally, you removed the matching petticoat so you stood in only your dress.  
  
"Ahh, now that is much better." He smiled as he looked at you. "Now, hand me that lipstick container and eyeshadow." He pointed at the make up on the counter beside you. You grabbed it and handed it to him and watched as he painted her face.   
  
"So, anything happen yet?" He asked as he focused on her face.   
  
"What do you mean by that?" You asked.   
  
"Well unless there is another female demon under that house or he is simply blind, that Butler would've made you his mate by now." He simply said.  
  
You looked up at him. "You should know me well enough by now to know that I will not be anyone's mate."   
  
He chuckled. "That's not what I saaaw!" He sung as he twirled around the room and grabbed the blush. "You know, I thought I was a dead man a few times by that shivering gaze he sent me." He shuddered and went back over to the body.  
  
"You know how male demons are. He's only protective over what he thinks is his." You said with a shrug.  
  
"A-ha! But that raises the question: do you want to be his?" He asked while looking up at you.   
  
You narrowed your eyes. "You're supposed to make me feel joyful, Unnie."   
  
He grinned. "Well it's a simple question: Do you see him as a suitable mate? After all, he does show some abnormal behavior over you."   
  
You crossed your arms. "And how is that?"  
  
He huffed and stopped his work to look at you. "During your battle with Jack The Ripper, you got severely injured and you did say he called your name in worry and not his Master's, did you not?"  
  
Your jaw clenched.   
  
"And he did loose an arm by trying to kill the culprit, yes?"   
  
Your neck twitched. "Is there a point you are trying to make?"  
  
"Has any other demon ever been so committed towards you? Has your beloved king ever shown such concern?"   
  
You stared at him before you grabbed your coat and shrugged it on. "I should use my remaining time for feeding before I return to the manor. As always, is was great seeing you, Unnie."   
  
You went to walk, but a hand grabbed your arm and turned you around. Your eyes widened by how serious Undertaker's face was.  
  
"Isabella, you must be careful. I understand your loyalty towards Lord Phantomhive, however it is possible that your relationship with that butler may progress from simply servants. If that is to happen, you must think of the outcome it may have. I don't want you paying the consequences." You stared at him as he spoke, before smiling.   
  
"Do not spend your time with worry, all will be the way it was meant to." You leaned over and kissed his cheek before walking out of the parlor.  
  
 **. . .**  
  
By the time Winston had returned with the carriage, you had fed on multiple humans that had became lost in the woods.   
  
Looks like they will have a new headline by tomorrow.  
  
The carriage pulled to a stop with the door opening a few seconds later. Winston removed his hat as he helped you down. You smiled at him. "Thank you, Winston." He looked up at you.  
  
"No, thank you miss, it was a pleasure serving you." He bowed his head before jumping up and snapping the reins of the horses.   
  
You watched the carriage disappear down the road before you walked up to the manor. You went to knock, but the door was cracked open.  
  
Your face grew cold as you pushed the door open and walked inside. You froze with your eyes wide and your mouth open as you stared at the inside.  
  
The sound of the door shutting brought you back. Your eyebrow twitched in anger as you looked around at the manor's inside that had been completely trashed. There was a liquid substance splattered on the walls, piles of trash left on the staircase and all the photos were either destroyed or on the ground. Not to mention what appeared to be a pot roast burnt and thrown against the wall.  
  
You growled and stormed down the hallway towards Ciel's study. You passed by shattered dishes and two carts that had been tipped over and didn't even bother on knocking as you slammed the door open. "What is going on here?!"  
  
Your face fell as you stared at Ciel who had a shocked look on his face and the man who sat in front of Ciel's desk with his back to you.   
  
He turned around and looked at you, his grey eyes widening. "Isabella?"   
  
You stared at him in surprise. "Lord Scriven..."


	18. His Maid, Day Off: 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It appears I've underestimated Sebastian and wrongly predicted how wrash his actions could be.
> 
> I believe I can hear Unnie's laughter right about now...

"Lord Scriven..."

Ciel's look of surprise turned into a frown. "I apologize for our interruption, Lord Scriven, I was not expecting miss Brieris to return until later." Ciel apologized while Lord Scriven smiled, keeping his eyes locked on yours.

"That's alright, Lord Phantomhive, such loveliness could never inconvenience me."

Your hand dropped from the door knob as you closed your eyes and sighed. "My lord, may I have a private word with you?"

Ciel rose an eyebrow, then looked at Edward and cleared his throat. "Pardon me, I'll only be a moment." He said as he stood up and walked over to you.

Edward waved a hand at him. "Please, take all the time you need." Ciel nodded and closed the door behind him.

He exhaled through his nose and turned around to see you staring him down with narrowed eyes. "Master."

His eye widened as he backed up at your cold look you have never used towards him. He kept stepping back until he hit the wall, with you leaning down to stare at him with an interrogative gaze. "I wish to know one thing...why is there no one cleaning up this filthy mess?"

He furrowed his brow. "You are not curious as to why the gentlemen you danced with at the viscount's ball is in my study?"

You chuckled darkly. "On the contrary, I am _very_ curious. However, Lord Scriven is not my main priority at the moment." You straightened up and clasped your hands together. "That aside, where is Sebastian? Surely, he would never accept the manor in such a horrid state."

He shrugged. "I sent him out on an Aron."

"My lord, how can you stand this disaster? Where are the servants? They must clean this up immediately, in fact, I should get to work, it'll take hours to—"

"No!" As you spoke, you turned to walk down the hallway, until Ciel grabbed your arm. "Remember your orders, you are not my maid, not now."

You turned around and looked at him curiously. "May this have to do with our guest?" He didn't respond, but released his grip and looked away.

"Master, your mansion is on the break of becoming an even more undesirable place of living then the pit of hell. Do you truly wish for our guest to see it in such a state?"

He sighed. "Fine. Gather the servants and order them to clean up, but do not change or go beyond that, understand?"

You laughed. "Exactly how important is Lord Scriven to you that you would go to such lengths so he would not know I am your servant?" Without waiting for a reply, you began walking down the hall.

"Wait. I have an order for you." You stopped.

"Isabella, you will return after having the servants clean up and proceed in doing everything to ensure Lord Scriven agrees to being an ally."

You glanced back at him. "What do you mean by that?" He smirked and looked up at you.

"I want you to seduce him."

Your eyebrows rose up as an amused grin creeped across your face. "Hmm." You turned and walked back, kneeling before him. "Yes, my lord."

He looked up at you as you rose up. You stared at him and quietly laughed. "Have you been planning this the whole time, master?"

The corners of his mouth twitched before he turned around. "I don't know what you mean."

He walked away, leaving you to stare after him in suspicion. "I'm sure you don't."

**. . .**

"Please, we didn't mean to!" Mey-Rin begged as she and Finny cowered behind Bard.

"We're so sorry, please forgive us!" Finny cried.

"It was an accident, we'll clean it up, alright, we promise!" Bard shouted with wide eyes as a dark figure towered over them with a look that sent them shivering down to their core.

"When I left this mansion, it was in perfect condition, and I return to find it in such a state of disgust that not even the lord Satan would waste his very being to spit in this direction!!!" It sneered as it's eyes blazed with fury.

Tears welled up in the servants' eyes in fear. "We're sorry, Sebastian!!!"

Sebastian clenched his fists as he slowly stepped away, keeping himself from having more dead bodies to hide.

He heavily sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Start cleaning. No breaks and no dinner until this mansion is spotless!" He ordered. They vigorously shook their heads yes. "Get to work!!!" He shouted, sending them running out of the room.

"Finny." He called back. Finny stopped and sweat dropped and looked at Bard and Mey-Rin, who gave him sorry looks and ran down the hallway.

Finny gulped and looked back at him. "Y-Yes, sir."

Sebastian looked down in thought with furrowed eyebrows. "Where is Isabella?"

"O-Oh, u-um, she is with the young master, getting ready for tonight."

Sebastian's head shot up as he stared at Finny. "Tonight? I was not informed of any plans for the master this evening."

Finny nervously laughed. "No, it isn't the Master's plans. Haven't you heard? The master has arranged for Isabella and our guest to have a night to themselves. We're all really excited for her, yes we are!" He said with a bright smile.

Finny looked at Sebastian, who's head was down, his fists clenched with his hair covering his face. "Eh, Sebastian?"

Silence.

"...Our guest, you say...?" He quietly said.

"Yes, Lord Scriven, the Master's guest." An awkward silence fell upon the room as Finny moved closer to the door. "Well, I better get to work, Afterall, the manor needs to be perfect for Isabella's date!" Finny shouted as he ran from the room and slammed the door behind him.

A malicious grin crept upon Sebastian's face as his dark chuckle echoed within the room. "Isabella's date, huh?...With lord Scriven, how interesting. Try at your will, but I promise you, if anyone is to claim her as their own, it will be me." He ran a hand through his hair as he walked towards the door. "Now, I must prepare for this evening. We wouldn't want anything bad to happen, now would we?"

**. . .**

"Strawberries. Perhaps something to dip them in, preferably chocolate. And a very special vintage wine to complement the flavor greatly." You said as you walked down the hallway beside Ciel.

"Strawberries? How can that be useful in seducing him?" He asked in confusion.

You laughed and shook your head. "Believe me, my lord, the way to any man's heart is through his stomach, especially if you are a lady who can easily interest him by taking only one required bite."

"Really? Will you demonstrate?"

You looked down at him. "Of course, just not in the presence of such a young mind. Ah! That reminds me, if you wish for me to properly gain his affection, it must be done with me alone with no interruptions."

You stopped once you reached the back doors that led them the garden, where Edward was patiently waiting. "And knowing your intentions of having him as an ally would be very helpful." You added.

He gave you a cold look.

"Or not."

You grabbed the door handles and turned them, pushing outwards as a cool gust of wind hit your face.

"I'll leave you to it then." Ciel turned and started to walk away.

"Master, when I say no interruptions, I do hope you know who I am referring to."

He stopped and looked over his shoulder at you. "Don't concern yourself, he doesn't know of tonight's plans. Besides, he'll be far too busy to interfere."

He resumed walking. "Enjoy yourself, Isabella." He said as he disappeared down the hall.

You hummed as you grabbed a handful of your hair and twisted it up to pin it up and showcase your neck and pushed up breasts, before you pulled out your red lipstick and applied it to your lips. Once you finished, you picked up your dress and walked outside.

You passed through the rows of the garden and turned a corner, reaching the scene of Lord Scriven standing beside a candle lit table that had wine and chocolate strawberries on it, red roses lying across the table. 

"Isabella..." He whispered your name as he took in the sight of  you.

You smiled and bowed. "Lord Scriven." You greeted, making him laugh.

"There is no need for such formalities." He walked up to you and gently grabbed your hand. "And please, call me Edward." He said before he tenderly kissed your hand.

Your mouth twitched. "Alright, Edward." He smiled and grabbed your hand as he lead you to the table and pulled out our chair for you.

You looked at it unsure, before sitting down, allowing him to push it in for you before he sat in his chair opposite of you.

"I must admit I was quite surprised you had agreed to meet me." He said, making you tilt your head.

"And why is that?"

He looked up at you. "Well, the last time we met, you didn't look very happy to see me."

You laughed and put a finger to your lips, leaving a trail down to your chest. "Oh, you just caught me at a bad time...that's all." You softly said with a small smile.

He rose his eyebrows and folded his hands as he leaned on the table. "Why? Are you alright?"

Your smile dropped.

"Well, it has been a very eventful day." You reached over and grabbed one of the strawberries, putting it up to your lips.

"Really? Tell me about it." He curiously said.

You waved a dismissive hand at him as you dipped it in chocolate, purposely leaving a few drops of chocolate on the top of your chest. "Believe me, it's not worth talking about."

You brought it back up to your lips and wrapped them around the delectable fruit, taking a juicy bite out of it, which left a spot of chocolate on them. "Surely, you wouldn't want to hear about something so uninteresting." You slowly licked the chocolate on your lips, before scooping up the drizzle on your chest and licking it off your finger.

"On the contrary, I'd be most interested." He said, nodding his head.

"No, no, I couldn't possible bore you. I just might scare you away." You chuckled.

You looked up at him, seeing the frown on his face. "You could never scare me away, Isabella. If there is something troubling you, you can tell me." He seriously said.

You tilted your head in a mixture of shock and confusion. "However if you wish not to tell me, I will not pressure you. I don't want to force you to do something you do not want to."

You rose an eyebrow at him as he stood up and stood in front of you. "Come with me." He extended a hand to you. You smiled as you stood up and wrapped your arm through his. "There is something I've been wanting to talk to you about." He said as he began to lead you away from the table and down one of the rows in the garden.

He lead you through until you reached the fountain towards the front of the property. "Isabella, I want you to be honest with me." He stopped and looked in your eyes. "What is your relation to the Earl? It was a pleasant surprise seeing you here, but that does make me curious as to why you are here."

You grinned and leaned into him, having your lips hover over his ear.  "Forget about the Earl, let's talk about something more interesting." You whispered as you lightly pushed him back until he sat on the ledge of the fountain.

"Tell me..." You straddled his lap and placed your hands on his shoulders. "What is it you desire most, my lord?"

He stared into our eyes, until they dropped to your lips. "I think the real question that needs to be answered is what do you desire, my dear?" You leaned closer to him until your lips grazed his.

You only stared into his eyes before you felt his hand cup your face and pull you closer, until...

The last thing you heard was a howl before you were tackled by a heavy force and pushed to the ground.

You opened your eyes and saw Pluto, in a tuxedo, crawling on top of you. "Pluto!" You yelled before he licked your face.

Pluto was then grabbed by the collar and pulled off of you. "Isabella, are you alright?" Edward asked as he helped you up and looked at your face.

"I am fine." You said through gritted teeth as you looked behind him, seeing a shadowy figure within the garden.

When you looked back, Pluto was growling as he turned into a hound, making Edward's eyes widen before he was then tackled to to the ground.

You narrowed your eyes at him. "Pluto! Off of him, now!!" You roared, making him whimper and run away.

You looked after him as Edward stood up and brushed the dirt off of him. "What in god's name was that?!"

You turned once you heard footsteps approaching you. "Ah! My apologies, my lady. It never crossed my mind Pluto would act in such a way."

You narrowed your eyes at Sebastian as he walked up and stopped in front of you. "Do forgive my foolishness." He said with a charming smile as he bowed his head before you.

"That's alright, but please try to be more in control next time." Edward said as he wrapped an arm around your waist and began to lead you away.

Sebastian chuckled. "Goodness, Lord Scavenger, is it? I did not notice you. It's as if you were completely irrelevant."

He stopped and looked back at Sebastian with a glare. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we have properly met." He extended a hand to Sebastian, who stared at it in confusion, before bowing instead.

"Sebastian Michaelis, head butler of the Phantomhives."

Edward retracted his hand. "Edward, Earl of Scriven."

Sebastian hummed. "Pardon the intrusion, but my master would like a word with you, miss Brieris."

You tapped your chin and smiled. "Alright, would you care to escort me, Sebastian?"

He smiled. "I would be honored."

You turned to Edward. "I won't be long. I will see you in a few minutes, Edward." You kissed his cheek and went to walk away, but he grabbed your arm and turned you around, crashing his lips on yours. You remained stock and wrapped your arms around his neck. You forced his mouth open and snaked your tongue inside, earning a moan from the back of his throat.

After a few moments, he released you. "Once I start something, I finish it." He whispered.

You smiled. "I do like a man who goes for what he wants." You whispered back.

The sound of a throat clearing made you look to your right. "I don't mean to be impatient, but we don't want to keep the master waiting, now do we?" Sebastian asked with a wide smile.

Edward pecked your lips once more, before you followed Sebastian.

Once you were far enough, you stopped walking. "Exactly what do you hope to accomplish by doing this?" You questioned.

He chuckled and turned around. "Have you forgotten already?"

You narrowed your eyes. "My patience is wearing thin, Sebastian. And you aren't being fair by leaving me optionless."

He laughed and stepped closer to you. "See, there you are wrong, my kitten. You have two options: Be mine, or make me yours. See, I am giving you two choices, it is not my fault you refuse to comply."

You snarled at him, making him quietly gasp. "Goodness, no lady should ever make such sounds out side of the bedroom. Where are your manners?" He smirked.

You ignored him and walked past him, until you stormed inside of the manor.

Sebastian stared after you as a grin crept across his face and he focused his sights on Edward, who was sitting on the fountain, patiently waiting for your return.

"Oh dear...it looks as if another infestation has formed in the master's garden. I must rid of it immediately...it has tainted it's beauty far too much." He said to himself, before walking towards Edward.

**. . .**

You knocked on Ciel's door and entered upon hearing permission. "Isabella, what are you doing here? Why aren't you with Lord Scriven?" Ciel demanded.

You looked at him in confusion. "My lord, did you not request my presence?"

"No! Of course not! Why?" You looked down in thought, then at Ciel in realization.

"Oh dear..." You muttered right before a sudden scream erupted from outside.

Ciel shot out of his chair and looked at you with a wide eye. "What was that? Are we being attacked?"

You growled and ran out of his office, down the hall as the screaming continued.

"Isabella!" Ciel called after you, until you bursted through the doors and through the gardens. "Stop! I order you to stop!" You stopped and waited for Ciel to catch up. "What is going—" You covered his mouth with your hand as you neared the origin of the screaming.

You pushed aside the branches of the trees and stared at the scene before you while Ciel's eye widened.

There sat the remains of Lord Scriven, his fresh juicy corpse lay in the same position you left him in, but the crows that surrounded his body were a dead giveaway as to what happened. Most were still picking at the insides as his skin had vanished while others were feasting on any pieces of skin or organs that were scattered across the area.

You removed your hand from Ciel's mouth as a swarm of crows approached, and disappeared to reveal Sebastian as he stared at the corpse with a look of triumph.

"What have you done?!" Ciel screamed at Sebastian, who slowly turned to him.

"Simple. I exterminated the vermin for you, sir."

You covered Ciel's eye and lead him away from the grotesque, gory scene. "If you're going to have your own twisted fun, please refrain from doing so in front of our master." You said as you past by him.

He watched after you as a smirk grew on his face.

**. . .**

A few hours after the incident, you were now putting Ciel to bed as Sebastian cleaned up his mess. "He better get out that smell, I don't want the stench of blood roaming around in my garden." He stated as you put away his clothes.

"You don't seem very upset, master."

He sighed. "I suppose I should have seen this. No matter, there will be other pawns. Next time, I'll have to remember to order him not to interfere."

You stood before him as you pulled the covers up on him. "Indeed you will, my lord."

You moved away and walked to the door, stopping once he spoke. "Did you enjoy yourself on your day off?"

You looked back at him. "No. I much prefer a life of serving my master."

He turned over. "Good. You are my maid and that will never change." You smiled and bowed your head as you shut the door.

_Dear, so much fuss over being a target for someone's mate. Who would've thought?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay...so um...I'm really sorry. This came out way more....um...darker than I made it out to be at first. This is why I stick to writing the episodes. You let me loose with writing and I become Light Yagami with the Death Note. The result is just Death.


	19. His Mid, On Ice: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The season has arrived for the annual frost fair on the River Thames. My master claims to be "inspecting the market," but in truth I know he's enjoying himself immensely. 
> 
> Watching his innocent, childish joy makes my heart feel positively tepid. No, wait, warm. Yes, yes, I mean warm.
> 
> Next time on Black Maid: "His Maid, On Ice."
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

** **

**_♪Ooh Death Whooooah death,  
Won't you spare me over 'til another year?♪_ **  
  
_You hummed, scraping your nails against the wall as the clicking of your heels sounded down the hallway with your tail flicking behind you._  
**_  
♪Well what is this that I cant see,  
With ice cold hands taking hold of me♪_ **  
_  
A terrifying scream animated from within the walls, but it was drowned out by several more as you clicked your tongue and ignored them._  
**_  
♪Well I am death none can excel,  
I'll open the door to heaven or hell,  
Whoa death someone would pray,  
Could you wait to call me another day♪_ **  
  
_A hand's tight grip on your boot made you stop and look over at it's owner, the elderly man was bloody and had at least 3rd degree burns covering his body, his legs broken, making him result to crawling as he managed to reach through the bars of his cell._  
_  
"Please...have mercy on me...please help me..." He said while choking on his own blood._  
__  
You looked at him curiously, before you stabbed the hand with your heel. He shrieked in pain and retracted his arm, staring up at you as you kneeled down and grinned.  
  
**♪The children prayed the preacher preached, Time and mercy is out of your reach,**

 _ **I'll fix your feet so you can't walk, I'll lock your jaw so you can't talk♪**_  
  
_As soon as he was there, he was gone, being dragged away by long, black clawed hands, his screams echoing as you watched._  
  
_You stood up and continued walking down the dark, blood stained hallway._  
**_  
♪I'll close your eyes so you can't see, This very hour come and go with me, Death I come to take the soul, Leave the body and leave it cold♪_**  
  
_Once you reached the large, chained metal doors, guarded by two demons with the legs of man and heads of demonic dogs, they nodded as the doors opened inside._  
  
**_♪To drop the flesh up off the frame,  
Dirt and worm both have a claim♪_**  
_  
You walked inside of the pitch black room, only light source being two large torches beside of a large throne, it's occupant towering over you._  
**_  
♪Ooh death Whooooah death,  
Won't you spare me over 'til another year?♪  
_**  
_As you finished, you knelt down in front of the throne, your eyes avoiding the creature before you, before he reached down and stroked your chin._  
_  
"If it isn't my playful little Felis."_  
  
_You slowly rose your eyes up to gaze at the dark black holes of it's eyes. "My king..."_  
**  
. . .**  
  
"Isabella...Isabella!"  
  
Your eyes snapped open as you looked down at the small human in front of you.  
  
"Stop standing around and pay him already!" Ciel ordered as he clutched his coat tighter in an attempt to block out the cold.  
  
You looked over, seeing an elderly man with a warm smile as he held out a box of silver utensils towards you.  
  
"Oh." You reached into your pocket and pulled out a sack of money, placing it in his trembling hands as you took the box from him.  
  
"My apologies, sir." You bowed your head. Ciel only rolled his eyes and walked away with Sebastian giving you a knowing look as he followed him. You looked back at the man before following.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, gather around. The frost fair hasn't happened in almost eighty years! Don't miss your chance!" A man announced as you all walked around the tents and stands that were surrounding the sheet of frozen water that had been turned into a temporary ice skating rink multiple people were skating on.  
  
"Impressive. 'Frost fair' certainly is an apt title for this." Sebastian commented as you walked by an ice sculpture of the queen.  
  
"A large gathering held at the foot of the London Bridge when the Thames freezes over." Ciel stopped in front of a stage with a sign reading 'Snow Festival' and looked upon the people.  
  
"From what I'm told it hasn't been held for several decades now. Not since 1814, apparently."  
  
**. . .**  
  
"Step on up, ladies and gents! I've got bargains that will blow even Jack Frost away! Buy something for someone special." A man announced. Ciel stopped in front of a stand and smiled at the figurines.  
  
"Is there something amusing?" Sebastian asked.  
  
"Those good are all of dubious quality. Funtom should set up a stall; any of our products would be better than what that man is selling."  
  
He pointed his cane at a replica of Noah's Ark. "Like that, there."  
  
The man noticed this and turned to Ciel. "Ah, hello there, noble lad! You have a good eye. That piece is one of a kind! It was manufactured by the Funtom Toy Company years ago back when it was still only just a small craft studio!"  
  
"No, that is a blatant fake. The Funtom Arks are rare; only three were ever made. My predecessor employed the talent of an artist incredibly skilled in his craft. Since our estate burned down, even we no longer possess one.  
One most certainly wouldn't turn up here." Ciel coldly said.  
  
"Noah's Ark... You know, it reminds me of this country." You spoke up.  
  
Ciel looked up at you. "Why is that?"  
  
You looked down at him. "Think about it, it's a boat captained by a single person. One filled with only the select few who have been chosen to be saved." You smiled. "Rather arrogant, don't you think?"  
  
He looked at you in thought. "Is that...?" A voice said, making you all turn, seeing the officer you met on the Jack the Ripper case, officer Abberline.  
  
"A Scotland Yard inspector has time to attend the fair...London must be very peaceful. Today, anyway." Ciel said with a smirk.  
  
He scowled at him. "It's not! I'm on duty right now!"  
  
"Oh. Well, then, I'll leave you to earn your wages in faithful service to the Queen and country. Good day, Inspector." Ciel turned and started walking away with you and Sebastian following, but it seemed Abberline wasn't finished.  
  
"Wait, come back! I have some questions I want to ask you! Ciel!"  
  
He quickly hurried after and went to touch Ciel's shoulder, until you slapped his hand away.  
  
He looked at you in shock. "Pardon me, my master is a touch fragile at the moment."  
  
Ciel glared at you.  
  
"Oh, I mean sensitive." You smiled.  
  
"Perhaps you could try to be a trifle more gentle when you're approaching him." Sebastian added with a larger smile as he stood close to you.  
  
Abberline narrowed his eyes at him. "Ciel, I wish to ask you a few questions regarding this case." He said while eyeing you carefully.  
  
Ciel sighed. "Very well, anywhere is fine as long as it's away from this bloody cold weather." He bitterly agreed.  
  
Abberline's eyes widened at Ciel's language, but said nothing as he rubbed his hand where you hit him.  
**  
. . .**  
  
Abberline led you all inside of a tea shop. Sebastian removed his coat and stood at the side wall with you while Ciel sat with Abberline.  
  
"Now, what is an inspector from the Yard doing here? What's your business, Abberline?" Ciel asked as a waitress placed two cups of tea on the table.  
  
"Murder. A man's corpse was found this morning trapped in the ice on the Thames. We learned he was a member of a certain criminal organization. I'm here because Scotland Yard wants to hunt down that man's killer, and we also want to recover a ring that he stole:  
a blue diamond, one supposedly worth around 2,000 quid."  
  
"The diamond... the ultimate symbol of eternal radiance." A voice interjected.  
  
They both looked back and saw Lau, standing with two waitresses, one on each arm.  
  
"A stone that bewitches all those who see its sparkle. What man wouldn't be inspired to pursue such an exquisite prize, even knowing all that awaits him is total destruction?" He smiled.  
  
"Impossible! How do you know about the Hope piece?!" Abberline stood up from the table and stared at him.  
  
"You're after the Hope piece?" Lau questioned. "Oh? Interesting. Such a gemstone really does exist? Oh, my... Ahh..."  
  
Abberline's eyes widened. "Wha-? Hold on. But you were saying-"  
  
"It's best to ignore him. He was blathering." Ciel cut him off, then looked at Lau. "Anyway, Lau, what in the world are you doing here?"  
  
"I own this place, my lord. Nice, eh?" He gestured around while keeping his arms around the two girls.  
  
"Yes, of course you do..." Ciel muttered.  
  
"This 'Hope piece' you were talking about sounds fascinating, my lord.  
Perhaps you could tell me more about it?" Lau smiled.  
  
Ciel sipped his tea then looked back at him "Have you never heard of it?  
A blue gem known as the Hope Diamond, named after the man whose collection it was a part of, Henry Philip Hope."  
  
Lau rubbed his chin, then shook his head. "Don't know it."  
  
"It's passed to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette... We know how they ended. The diamond is said to be a cursed stone that brings ruin to all who possess it. At one point it was stolen, and cut into smaller pieces to disguise it. Rumor has it that two such pieces still exist. Those shards of diamond would certainly be valuable." Ciel stated, then looked at Abberline. "Tell me Abberline, is that what you're searching for?"  
  
He looked down. "The diamond was being moved as evidence. Its carriage was attacked. It was stolen."  
  
Ciel smirked. "Intriguing." He stood up and gestured for you and Sebastian to come over, which you did. "Give me details. I would like to lend you a hand with this case." He said as Sebastian placed his coat over his shoulders and you handed him his cane.  
  
"Of course I can't force you. But then, if you do decide to refuse me, I can see to it that Sir Arthur finds himself in a rather awkward position." He smirked when Abberline's eyes went wide.  
  
He gulped. "Well...um, there is one person who may be able to provide us with some information regarding the case."  
  
**. . .**  
  
"You're sure this is the right place?" Ciel warily asked as you all stood in front of an old building with a sign reading 'The Undertaker'  
  
Once again, a smile crept it's way across your face, but when you glanced at Sebastian, it dropped. You could feel his demonic aura slowly starting to show, and if that wasn't enough, the deep frown and look his eyes had was.  
  
"Yes, it is. He set up shop here because so many people have been freezing to death during the frost fair." Abberline responded with a shrug.  
  
"Inspector, you can't be serious... Not him." Lau said.  
  
"Yes, him. You lot can wait right here outside. You are lucky I let you accompany me at all." He walked towards the door and leaned against it.  
  
"Aah!"  
  
Unfortunately, he learned the hard way that it was only a curtain.  
  
"What a hopeless fool..." Ciel said in annoyance.  
  
"One of the privileges of youth, my lord." You stated.  
  
"So, what is this place?" Lau asked.  
  
"It's the Undertaker's parlor! You met him during the Jack the Ripper case, remember?" Ciel snapped at him.  
  
Lau smiled at him. "Oh, right!"  
  
"Abberline won't last one minute in there." Ciel looked at you. "Isabella, prepare to-" He was cut off by the sound of laughter that made the door curtain blow out and the sign fall off.  
  
Ciel's mouth dropped, before he walked up and moved the curtain for you all to enter, only to find Undertaker laughing on the floor.  
  
He stopped and stood up. "I assure you, man, you're in the wrong profession. That was hysterical. You could be a world-renowned comedian." He giggled, before he then noticed his audience, his covered eyes landing on you.  
  
"Oh, hello dearie, I was wondering when I'd see you again." He walked over and pulled you in for a hug. "If you have another day to yourself, due come by. I enjoyed your company so much last time." He grinned.  
  
"Last time?" You looked up at Sebastian. "You've been here on your own? Alone with **_him_**?" His eyes darkened as he stared at undertaker, who pulled away from you and chuckled.  
  
Ciel walked over to Abberline. "What did you say to him?"  
  
He had a confused look on his face. "I have no idea. I was just talking to him normally. He began laughing like a madman." He pointed at Undertaker, who was still laughing.  
  
"How unexpected. You aren't without talent." Ciel muttered.  
  
You and Sebastian walked up and stood behind Ciel. "It seems you're a man to be reckoned with. Most interesting." Sebastian stared at Abberline suspiciously.  
  
"But, I didn't do anything!" He defended, but Sebastian continued to stare at him.  
  
Ciel then slammed his hands on the counter and glared at Undertaker. "Tell me more about the ring! I want to know it all. The man you pulled out of the river was the last to have it." He demanded at the man whose back was to him while Undertaker laughed to himself.  
  
"Perhaps it was frozen in the ice near where the body was found. You are a citizen of our great country, Mr. Undertaker. Please, give us your help in this matter." Abberline bowed respectfully, but Undertaker only laughed.  
  
"As I said before, I'm profoundly impressed with you, Inspector. I'll tell you everything. Where is the ring, you ask?" He turned and walked towards the door, but not before he put his arm around your shoulders and smiled at Sebastian.  
  
He walked outside, you beside him while everyone followed until he stopped in front of the Queen Victoria ice sculpture. "You see, right there!" He pointed at the sapphire ring that she was wearing.  
  
Abberline's eyes went wide as he slapped his cheeks and let out a yell.  
  
"Ah, it appears that the sculptor must have happened upon the ring and then designed a beautiful ice sculpture to complement it. Our mystery has been solved." Lau stated.  
  
"Collect the ring right now!" Abberline ordered.  
  
"Right!" Several policeman appeared and went towards the sculpture.  
  
"What do you think you're doing, thieves?!" A voice shouted.  
  
You all turned, your eyes went wide and you heard Sebastian sneer, not at the mayor who accused you of thievery, but the man in white standing beside him.  
  
"That dear lady will be awarded to the contest's victor." The white man said while smelling a white flower. "You wouldn't want to defile her now, would you?"  
  
Ciel visibly shuddered as his jaw dropped. "Viscount Lord Druitt!"


	20. His Maid, On Ice: 2

_Oh Satan...._  
  
It's him.. I knew I should've disposed of him when I had the chance.   
  
You looked away from the Viscount and focused your gaze on Ciel as he pondered to himself.   
  
"They're holding some contest? Why is he a judge?" He questioned while everyone except you stared at the angry group of people before you, the Viscount being one of them, though he was too busy admiring the white roses.  
  
"Yes. Wasn't he just arrested for human trafficking? What a naughty man." Lau said from beside you.   
  
You looked down when you noticed Sebastian had moved closer to you, to wear your sides were touching. Your eyebrow twitched and you were about to point it out, but froze when you felt an arm wrap around your waist and pull you, making you mold into a firm chest.  
  
You looked to your right, seeing Undertaker with a smile on his face, his attention on Abberline when he responded. "He was released a few days ago." Abberline said with a scowl.   
  
Ciel frowned. "Must have paid well."  
  
Abberline stepped forward until he was before the mayor. "Excuse me, but this statue is now under the charge of Scotland Yard."  
  
Unfortunately, the Mayor didn't seem very happy to cooperate. "Oh, no! I don't care if you are from Scotland Yard, sir! The frost fair is an event for our citizens. I will not let you disrupt it!"  
  
"Just look at her beauty. Such an exquisitely noble lady. We could never allow her to be violated by anybody." Lord Druitt said as he hugged himself.  
  
Your eyes narrowed at him. "You're certainly one to talk."  
  
The viscount looked back, his eyes locking with yours as he smirked. "If you insist on possessing this lady, you should offer something of equal beauty."  
  
"A well-spoken pronouncement from a true lover of art and beauty! As he says, if you want this statue, win the contest!" The mayor exclaimed.  
  
"There's merit to your argument. The ring belongs to whomever is the winner of the contest. Nice and simple." Ciel agreed.   
  
Abberline looked back at him. "Really, Ciel?"  
  
Ciel looked up at him. "Don't worry, Inspector, I'll get the ring."   
  
Abberline gritted his teeth. "But it's stolen property! Not to mention the fact that it's our key evidence in serial kidnappings of young girl—Ah!" He covered his mother with his eyes wide in realization of what he just revealed.  
  
Ciel smiled. "I see, that's why the Yard is frantic to find it."   
  
Abberline went back to frowning. "The legend is true; every person who has owned the ring has met a horrible end! It's a cursed stone, and you still try to win it?"  
  
This only made Ciel's smile turn into a smirk. "Cursed, eh?" He looked down at his father's ring. "Then it sounds like the perfect ring for me."  
  
Undertaker walked forward, which only made you be pulled forward with him as he now placed his arm lazily over your shoulders. "Come to think of it, isn't that family ring you wear set with a pretty blue stone as well, lord?"  
  
Ciel looked up at him. "Yes."  
  
Undertaker smiled. "Perhaps you should be careful. Diamonds are quite hard. Because they're hard, they're also... brittle. If you go too far, you may be shattered as well."  
  
"I'm not concerned." He said before smiling as he raised his thumb to his face to gaze upon his ring. "My body, along with my family ring—" He kissed the diamond, then looked back at Undertaker. "—both have already been shattered and then reborn. I've been through too much to worry about that anymore." You felt your lips turn upwards into a smile by what he said and by glancing at Sebastian, it made his face contort as well.  
  
You looked down at Ciel when he turned around and looked at you and Sebastian. "Win the contest, that's an order!"   
  
Undertaker removed his arm and stepped back as you and Sebastian put your hands over your heart and stomach. "Indeed, young master."  
  
 **. . .  
**  
Hmm, 547.  
  
There were currently 547 people gathered at the foot of the stage you now stood on beside Sebastian amongst the other contestants. You both had fake smiles acting upon false happiness, but what was their excuse? Why do they care about a contest about carving blocks of ice? Does this entertain them?  
  
These were the thoughts that ran through your mind behind the smile on your face as the announcer spoke. "Welcome one and all to the Thames Frost Fair! Now it is time for the traditional ice sculpture contest! You have until 3 p.m. All right. You may begin sculpting!"  
  
Your smile widened. Perhaps this will be entertaining. And there is an interesting topic you would like to base this icy project on.  
 **  
. . .  
  
*bong* *bong* *bong*** The clock rang out as it struck 3. "And now folks, the judging shall commence!"  
  
You glanced around the stage, seeing the men all out of breath as they held up their tools, then at Sebastian, who kept his eyes locked on the audience.  
  
That certainly shows our masculine men of London.   
  
It's at least one attractive quality Sebastian bares that no other man does.  
  
Your eyes widened at your own thoughts. Attractive? Why in the bloody hell would I even think of that word, let alone include Sebastian?   
  
You closed your eyes in an attempt to block out such vulgur thoughts. What is wrong with you? Focus!   
  
_Flashback...  
  
"Has any other demon ever been so committed towards you? Has your beloved king ever shown such concern?"_   
  
You silently growled under your breath. "Shut up."  
  
Sebastian was the only one to hear you and looked at you from the corner of his eye, but you avoided his gaze.  
  
 _Oh Lucifer, why must you do this to me?_  
  
"First up, we have Scotland Yard and Its Merry Men, with their sculpture, "Guardian of London"!" All eyes went to the life size ice sculpture of Sir Arthur, that Abberline and another officer were saluting to, as if it were actually him.  
  
The table of judges frowned at it, including the viscount at the end who shook his head. "Judges' scores!" They all held up their scores. "One, two, one, one, zero! For a total of five points!" You looked back at the sculpture, to see Arthur's head fall off.  
  
"Next team, whose name is All Women's Dresses Should Be Tiny...  
And their entry!"   
  
A few women gasped as children's eyes were covered from the ice sculpture of a naked Ran Mao, that's womanly parts were being censored by two white sheets, that two blushing men were holding.   
  
You glanced at it with a raised eyebrow.   
  
I mean, did they really have to go into detail? And for hell's sake, carved at least a dress on her!  
  
"For obvious reasons, this ice sculpture has been disqualified."   
  
Lau smiled and tilted his head. "But why?" He asked this while Ran Mao stood beside him, doing the same pose as the sculpture.  
  
"How could you possibly think that was proper to display?!" Ciel snapped at him.   
  
His smile dropped. "You know, when they hide bits like that I think it only makes it more erotic..."  
  
The judges all held up X's, except for Lord Druitt, who held up a 10. Of course, it's not like you expected anything else.  
  
Your gaze dropped to Ciel as he leaned closer into you and Sebastian. "Win this. You can, right?"   
  
You chuckled. "Of course we can."  
  
Without looking at him, Sebastian added on. "You explicitly ordered us to do so, and we exist only to fulfill your orders, my lord."  
  
"And next, from the team known as Queen's Puppy, we have "The Ark of Noah"!"  
  
A large sheet was dropped, revealing a large life size ice replica of Noah's Ark. You heard a chair scrape and looked back at the viscount as he marveled at it.  
  
"What a sculpture! I've never seen it's like! That is art in its highest form!" The mayor exclaimed.  
  
"An amazing piece! Let's see the total scores." The announcer said as he turned to the judges, until your hand shot up.  
  
"One moment." He looked back down at you. "My apologies, but you haven't seen all of the sculpture yet." You looked to Sebastian as he walked over to it and snapped his fingers.   
  
The Ark's roof cracked down the middle and fell apart, revealing 3D sculptures of various animals atop the Ark.  
  
"Wow! They look like living animals!" You heard a man say amongst the audience that stared at it in awe.  
  
"Brilliant! They deliberately made the seam of the roof weak so it would melt and fall apart in time!" The mayor shouted.  
  
"Ah! Ahh! Our ancestor, the brave man who stood fearlessly against the flood of God's wrath: Noah! He is depicted here with his wife and child and the pairs of animals he was ordered to rescue, awaiting rebirth from the sea." The viscount dramatically said in a love-like trance.  
  
"Astounding work, young man and young lady! It's high art! I declare the both of you ice sculptors of the highest caliber." The mayor announced.  
  
You both looked up at him. "No, sir. You're too kind. We are simply one hell of a maid and butler." Sebastian said as he placed his hand on his heart.  
  
"Is everyone ready for the final scores?"   
  
"Hold it right there!" You all looked over at the queens ice sculpture where a man stood, pointing a gun towards the audience. "Hate to break up the party, but this ring is ours. We're taking what belongs to us."  
  
"Hold on. That means you're the..." Abberline drifted off as the man smirked.  
  
"That's right. We're the team of thieves all of London's been talking about. Maybe you'll recognize these." He pulled back his coat to reveal several sticks of dynamite strapped to his abdomen.  
  
You rose an eyebrow. "Well that is very idiotic. I believe that is taking the term 'self destructive' to a more literal meaning than necessary."   
  
Behind him, two other men knocked over a barrel, more sticks of dynamite spilling from it. The man grinned and held up a lighter, flicking on the flame. "You have ten seconds! Anyone who doesn't want to die should get the hell out of here."  
  
"Ten!" The entire crowd of people ran from the area, all except Abberline, Ciel, and his faithful hellish servants.  
  
You gave a closed eyed smile. "Well, this was certainly a dramatic turn of events, wasn't it?"   
  
"Master." Sebastian called.  
  
"Nine!"  
  
"My orders remain the same. Do it now." Ciel ordered.  
  
You both smiled and bowed. "Indeed, young master." You said, before you both disappeared from sight.  
  
"Eight!"  
  
Abberline looked back, seeing Ciel still standing there alone. "What are you doing?! Hurry up, we need to get out of here!"  
  
"Seven!"  
  
Ciel looked back at him. "You can go if you want to. Don't worry, I'll be fine."  
  
"Six!"  
  
Abberline gritted his teeth. "I can't leave you here!" Ciel looked back at him in surprise. "I joined Scotland Yard to protect our citizens!"   
  
"Five!"  
  
"That includes noblemen like you, Ciel!" He yelled, before he began to run towards Ciel.  
  
"Four!"  
  
Ciel smirked as he watched him. "What a fool."  
  
He nearly got close to the man at the statue, before the man shot at his feet, stopping him. "Stay back, Inspector." The man turned to Ciel with his gun now to him. "You only have three seconds left. A sweet little boy like you, shouldn't you be running away?"  
  
Ciel only stared at him. "I see no need for that. Look behind you."  
  
His eyes widened, right before the gun was knocked out of his hand by Sebastian, who had jumped over him and kicked it with his ice skates. "What the?!"  
  
Sebastian landed on the ice and skated around the statue as the men fired their guns at him. He jumped up and did a quadruple spin mid air.  
  
"Impossible! He spun four whole times in the air!" The mayor exclaimed.  
  
"A noble swan flying through a world of silvery-white snow! Lured by that devilish smile, the maiden is enfolded in his midnight black wings." Ciel visibly shuddered from the viscount's words.  
  
As Sebastian skated by the Judge's table and knocked out the two men who had been shooting at him, the judges held up their scores. "Ten, ten, ten, ten, ten! That's it, a perfect score!"  
  
Ciel was now smirking at the man, who was pulling out a dynamite stick and lit his lighter. "Damn you... little brat! I'm gonna blow you away!" Ciel's smirked dropped as the lit dynamite was hurled towards him.  
  
But, before it landed, he was swept away by you as you held him above your head with one arm and skated away with a smile.  
  
The man shielded his eyes as the stick landed and the ice exploded. "Another one?! I hate these people!" He angrily said as he lit several dynamite sticks and threw them towards you, but you managed to gracefully skate away from them, leaving a trail of explosions behind you.  
  
"Please, Boss, stop doing that! Have you forgotten?! Look down! We're standing on top of ice!" His men said as they looked upon the now cracked ice that would break any second.  
  
Haha. Idiot.  
  
Ciel gasped and looked down at you as you continued to hold him up. "Isabella!"   
  
You dropped your hand and grabbed onto his arms, swinging him around a few times, before letting go. He shrieked as he soared through the air, all while you gave him an amused smile as Sebastian caught him from where he stood.  
  
The ice atop the river cracked, sending the thieves below the freezing depths, leaving a foggy cloud of ice.  
  
Abberline looked upon the fog, but couldn't spot anything or anyone. "Where is he?" He questioned.  
  
Lau smiled as he stood next to him. "My lord is stubborn as ever."  
  
Abberline's eyes widened as the shadow of the Noah's Ark sculpture cane into view, with Ciel on top of it and his Maid and Butler standing behind him.  
  
Lord Druitt outstretched his arms. "The ship sails on, leaving human despair behind! The ship sails on, carrying the future of the world! The ship sails on, despite the raging flood of icy waters seeking to drown it! ♪ The ship sails on! ♪"  
  
Tears pricked the mayor's eyes as he stared at it. "It's the Ark! Truly a recreation of Noah's Ark! We've seen a miracle on the Thames!"  
  
Ciel looked back at you with a frown. "Was tossing me about like that really necessary?"  
  
You smiled. "My apologies, sir. But we did have an audience after all. I thought it might add a bit of a flair to the show."  
  
His eye twitched, before he averted his gaze down at the river, where the queen ice sculpture was sinking, and the hope peace still on her finger. "The Hope Diamond will sleep safely at the bottom of the Thames...Not a bad end."  
  
"But won't it curse all of London now?" Sebastian questioned.  
  
"Somehow I doubt that will happen. Besides, if a ring can destroy the city, it wasn't meant to survive." He looked at his ring.   
  
"After all, we Phantomhives have lived on..." He looked across the river at Abberline, who was kneeling down, helping one of the thieves out of the water.  
  
"Grab my hand, I've got you!" He said as he reached out to him.  
  
"Tell me something, Isabella." Ciel began as he watched him. "Earlier, you had accused Noah of being arrogant, but he was only trying to save a few. Wouldn't the desire to protect everyone be even more arrogant?"   
  
You thought for a second, then looked ahead at Abberline. "Yes, it would seem so."  
  
A small smile curved at Ciel's lips. "Ah well, an arrogant fool like that every now and then might not be so bad."  
  
Once Abberline had pulled the bandits from the water, he looked up and stared at Ciel and his servants as they stood atop the sculpture. "Ciel... Who exactly are you?"  
 **  
. . .  
  
*sigh*** _What am I doing? My work here is complete, so why? Why am I still here?_  
  
You stared at the blood red ring upon your finger as your other naked hand mindlessly scraped against the roof of the manor. You started to think back to what Sebastian said on your first night with him...  
  
 _Flashback...  
  
'He leaned down to your ear. "That is because they took place in his kingdom, but here you are vulnerable. Unlike all others, I will succeed, it is only a matter of time." He whispered.'_  
  
He was right. _Here, there are no guards, no king to have his hold on me. Damn you...why? Why did you make me come back? You bastard! Why?!  
_  
You clenched your fist and looked away, down from where you were crouched, you glanced at the balcony of Ciel's study, where he sat at his desk with his chin his hand.  
  
 _Flashback...  
  
'He sighed. "I would very much like if you would keep this from Ciel, not only as my servant, but as my friend. Please...will you do me this one favor... as my friend?"'_  
 _  
Oh... That's why._ You laughed to yourself. "You really were full of surprises, weren't you master? To think you would go as far as to ask a demon from hell for a favor..."  
  
You continued to watch Ciel, until he stood up and walked out of your view, the room's light going out a few seconds after.  
  
You looked back at your ring and sighed as you closed your eyes.  
  
 _Vincent...look what you've done to me._  
  
Silence filled the area, and for once you felt...relaxed.  
 ** _  
♪Ooh Death Whooooah death, Won't you spare me over 'til another year?♪_**  
  
Your eyes snapped open as you felt the wind pick up. The trees began to lean as a familiar tune rang out in the air.  
  
 _ **♪Well what is this that I cant see, With ice cold hands taking hold of me♪**_  
  
You immediately stood up and stared off in the distance, seeing a dark figure fly past the trees. Your eyes narrowed as you jumped off the roof and landed beside the fountain. You then proceeded to run into the woods.  
 _ **  
♪Well I am death none can excel, I'll open the door to heaven or hell,  Whoa death someone would pray, Could you wait to call me another day♪**_  
  
You followed after the figure that moved in a flash from tree to tree, it's voice growing louder as it rang in your ears.  
  
 _ **♪The children prayed the preacher preached, Time and mercy is out of your reach, I'll fix your feet so you can't walk, I'll lock your jaw so you can't talk♪**_  
  
You watched as the figure jumped up and disappeared into a large tree. Though it was dark, the rustling that sounded when you stopped below it was a dead giveaway.  
 ** _  
♪I'll close your eyes so you cant see, This very hour come and go with me, Death I come to take the soul, Leave the body and leave it cold♪_**  
  
A hissing sound from behind you made you turn around to see a snake slither down a tree and slowly make it's way to where it was inches from your face.  
  
 ** _♪To drop the flesh up off the frame, Dirt and worm both have a claim♪_**  
  
As it got closer, it's jaws began to open, with it's long, sharp fangs come closer and closer.  
  
 _ **♪Ooh death Whooooah death, Won't you spare me over 'til a another year?♪**_  
  
You turned away from the snake with a small sigh and looked up into the tree the figure now stood in.  
  
"Must you honestly disturb me from my work, especially at this ungodly hour?" It's sultry laugh only made you frown.  
  
"Godly hour? You speak of god? Now is that any way to talk, Felis?" It jumped down from the tree and landed inches from you.  
  
You watched as she slowly rose up, not caring how close she was and stared at you with her piercing violet eyes, her hot pink hair tickling your skin.  
  
You showed no emotion whatsoever. "It's been quite a long time, hasn't it? Hello once again, Azah."  
  
Her lips pulled back into a wicked grin, displaying her sharp pointed fangs. "Hello...sister."


	21. His Maid, However You Please: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ring's stone flickers like a blue abyss, an inescapable promise of death. 
> 
> Meanwhile, the organ plays a broken melody, its tone faltering. Listen well, young master: you must not trust bad women...No, I'm sorry. What I meant was "pink" women.
> 
> Next time on Black Maid: "His Maid, However You Please."
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The picture below is two merged pictures of Luesir and Azah.

Her lips pulled back into a wicked grin, displaying her sharp pointed fangs. "Hello...sister."  
  
You rose an eyebrow and let out a scoff. "Do not greet me as if we are related. Our only relation is that we are both servants in the pit of hell."  
  
She chuckled. "Perhaps, but we may as well be. I mean we're practically sisters."  
  
"I could never be formally associated with something as degrading and scandalous as you." You spat with venom in each word.  
  
She gasped, before laughing as she looked at you from upside down in the tree. "Oh, Felis, you're so cruel. And to think we came all the way here just to see you."  
  
You tilted your head. "We?" She giggled right before you saw another dark figure emerge from behind the tree and jump down until it was standing behind you.  
  
"Felis, you didn't actually think I wouldn't come to visit, did you?" You felt it's breath on your ear as it whispered to you.  
  
You looked at him from the corner of your eye. "Luesir. I can't say I'm surprised seeing you here."  
  
He darkly chuckled as he stroked your arm with his long nails. "I just couldn't stay away from you any longer, my dear. Just being near you makes my blood boil."  
  
You stared ahead at Azah, before you slapped Luesir's hand away and pushed him back against a tree. "I will ask you this only once..." You raced forward and grabbed Azah by the throat, slamming her up against the tree. "Why are you here? And please, try not to try my patience, I must return soon to my duties."  
  
She grinned at you. "You mean as the brat's faithful little bitch?"  
  
You rose your hand and smacked her across the face, leaving a red hand print on her left cheek. "Do not speak of him in such a distasteful manner. Your poisonous words will not be spoken on my Master's soil. Answer me now or I will permanently remove your sinful tongue."  
  
You heard a snicker from behind you. "I think you better answer her, Azah, we wouldn't want kitty to show her claws, now would we?"  
  
Azah smirked at you. "Yes, we certainly don't want that. It's simple, Felis, really it is. Do you know how long it's been since you've been home? We miss your sultry voice singing to the pitiful souls."  
  
You narrowed your eyes. "The only purpose you serve by being here is by delivering a message. Let's move this along already, I wouldn't want my master to grow anxious."  
  
Her smirk dropped. "Your master? Is he your only concern? Does your king mean nothing to you!"  
  
"Azah!" Luesir's voice boomed. "Do not question her trust, you know the consequences."  
  
She scoffed at him, then focused back on you. "He is growing impatient. He misses his favorite toy, and feels you've taken advantage of your given freedom."  
  
You stared at her, before releasing her and backing away. "If he truly feels that way, then he knows nothing of freedom. If you shall excuse me, I have a contract to complete and a master to serve." You turned and began walking back to the manor. "Dear, I hope Sebastian can maintain the servants." You muttered.  
  
"Tell us, what is it like working with such a handsome demon Butler?"  
  
You stopped in your tracks and slowly turned to look back at her. "I mean, it's a wonder how you get anything done with that around. He's so..." She licked her lips. "...delicious"  
  
"Take care in what you say, you demonic whore. If you speak, you'll regret it." You hissed.  
  
She smirked. "Oh my, is our little Felis jealous? Are you actually developing an urge—even when you're not mates?" She shook her head. "He won't be pleased with you, you know how protective he is over you."  
  
"If you are suggesting I have a need to care, then you've used what little brain capacity you have to forget that I am still a demon." You started walking again. "If that will be all, please dispose yourself from my Master's property, or you shall be forced." You waved a hand. "Good day."  
  
They watched you walk away, with Azah sneering. "She thinks because she is his pet that she can just walk away? Fine. If she won't cooperate willingly, then we'll have to force her hand...starting with that master of hers."  
  
**. . .**  
  
Once you entered the manor, you quickly shut the garden doors with a sigh. You turned and stopped once you saw Sebastian standing in the kitchen doorway, staring at you with a raised eyebrow. "Would you care to indulge me on that little encounter just now?"  
  
You walked over and passed by him. "Not particularly, no."  
  
He suddenly grabbed your arm and slammed you against the wall. "Really? Well, I'll just have to fix that, now won't I?" He pulled your waist closer to where you felt his warm breath tingle your lips.  
  
He buried his head in the crook of your neck and closed his eyes as he inhaled your scent. "I'm not sure how much longer I can resist you, my kitten. I would gladly take you right here and right now." You felt his forbidden fangs scrape your neck and his grip on your waist tighten.  
  
You involuntary closed your eyes by his touch. ***Purrrrrr***  
  
The vibrations of his deep chuckle ran throughout your body, which didn't exactly help your current situation.  
  
The next thing you know, a pair of lips were being smashed against yours. Your eyes widened and your jaw dropped, which only gave him an advantage as his tongue slipped into your mouth and wrestled with yours until it explored every part over and over.  
  
"Sebastian! Isabella! Come here at once!"  
  
You looked back towards the stairs, seeing Ciel walking around, looking for the both of you, then up at Sebastian, who completely ignored him.  
  
Your brows furrowed as you stood loosely in his arms. "Uh....Sawasta" A deep growl rose up from the back of his throat in satisfaction that vibrated within your mouth. You tapped his shoulder. "Sawasta, oy thwink we shawed attwend wu thwa wong waster."  
  
He slammed your back hard against the wall and used one hand to hold your arms above your head, then used his other to travel downwards and softly caress your exposed thigh.  
  
"Sawasta!!!" You pushed forward to get him off, but he only slammed you back against the flat surface and pushed his tongue farther back down your throat.  
  
"Where the bloody hell are they? Isabella! Sebastian! Come here now!"  
  
Sebastian opened his eyes only to narrow them as he reluctantly removed his mouth from yours, but didn't release his hold. "Do not make such noises in my presence, my kitten, unless you intend to make more." He whispered, before he released you and started to walk down the hall towards where Ciel was.  
  
You watched his back as he walked and mentally cursed yourself. _What in the hell is wrong with you?!  
_  
You shook your head and followed him, until you both appeared at the left top of the stairs. "You called master?" Sebastian asked with that damned smile of his.  
  
Ciel turned around from the bottom of the stairs and scoffed when he saw you both. "Well, you sure took your time to arrive. Where were you?" He asked as he climbed the stairs up to the both of you.  
  
You opened your mouth to speak, but the front doors suddenly opened with a familiar pink humanoid running towards the stairs. "Ciellll!!!!!!!!"  
  
Ciel stopped and looked back. "Lizzie?" He asked right before she tackled him in a hug and swung him around by his arms. While she flung him like a rag doll, you noticed a woman with brown eyes and brown hair run up behind her, out of breath.  
  
Ciel was trying to catch his breath while Lizzie grabbed his hand and placed a red box wrapped in a red bow in it. "Here! This is for you! Open it, okay? I can't wait!" She said with a wide smile.  
  
He stood up and looked at the box in his hand, then reached to pull off the ribbon, but was stopped by Lizzie as she grabbed his wrist and stared at the ring upon his finger. "Hold on a moment. I thought I broke this ring a while ago?"  
  
"Well fortunately, Isabella and Sebastian were able to repair it." He simply said.  
  
She looked up at him. "That's impossible! It was chipped! I don't even see a single crack!"  
  
Sebastian put a hand over his heart. "That is true, but if we couldn't do something so simple—"  
  
"Then what kind of maid and butler would they be, really?" Ciel finished off.  
  
Sebastian looked at him with a smile, then bowed his head. "You took the words out of my mouth, sir."  
  
Lizzie took a step back with a blank face. "Oh, they fixed it." She folded her hands over her waist and closed her eyes. "That's fantastic news."  
  
The brunette woman behind her looked at her in concern. "My lady, are you alright?"  
  
Sensing the change of mood, you spoke up. "So, lady Elizabeth, what do you have in the box there?"  
  
Her eyes shot open as she snatched the box from Ciel. "Uh, it's nothing! It's a secret!"  
  
You all looked at her in confusion. "A secret? But you just told me to open it, didn't you?" Ciel questioned.  
  
She nervously laughed and shook a finger at him. "I was teasing you, silly."  
  
Ciel rose an eyebrow. "Teasing?"  
  
Lizzie leaned forward and gave a playful smile. "No proper lady would try to win a gentleman with material things. That would be unseemly."  
  
She looked back at the woman with a smile. "Now, are you ready, Paula? Ring the bells!"  
  
The woman named Paula perked up. "Oh, yes. Of course!" She took out a set of bells and rang them with a smile. _**♪Jingle♪ ♪Jingle♪ ♪Jingle♪**_  
  
"Well, that's all, so have a good day!" Lizzie did a quick wave, before grabbing Paula and running out the manor, slamming the door shut behind her.  
  
You all stared at the door with perplexed expressions. "She came here...to ring some...bells for me." Ciel slowly said.  
  
You smiled as you watched her leave from the window. "Tomorrow is your birthday, young master." You looked down at him. "I'm sure that's why she came." Ciel's eye widened in realization, but he said nothing.  
  
After a moment of silence, Sebastian spoke up. "So, what do you think? Shall we hold a birthday party?" He looked ahead at the servants, who were listening in from behind one of the pillars of the room. "It seems that some people would like to celebrate with you." They quickly moved back, then looked in again.  
  
Ciel hummed in thought, then looked down. "Tomorrow is my birthday..."  
_  
Flashback...  
  
'"Hey Mr, tomorrow's my birthday, exciting huh!" He beamed up at the man.  
  
You swiftly moved to walk up behind them. "Oh, my young lord, please." You said, putting your hands on his shoulders.  
  
'"I apologize, sir. Please forgive my young master." You said while bowing your head.  
  
"Not to worry Madame, he is a very charming young man." The man said with a smile while removing his top hat. You gave him a closed-eyed smile in response.  
  
"Isabella said that since tomorrow's my birthday, I can sleep in the same room with mother and father tomorrow night. And mother said she's going to read me as many stories as I want!" He happily informed.  
  
Then, the next night...  
  
"Mother! Father! Isabella! Where are You?!" He shouted as he ran. He bursted through the room to the main parlor.  
  
"Father!" He shouted, until he suddenly went stiff with his eyes wide and mouth open at the sight of his father, already dead, sitting in a chair with the room surrounded by flames.  
  
My mother was going to read me stories...My father was going to give me a present...  
  
Ciel stared up at the red hot branding iron, that held the carving of a symbol that was slowly being brought closer to him. He glanced around at the people in cloaks that surrounded him, yet all he wished was for you to come and save him from his fate. "On this day, you shall be marked with the sign of the noble beast."'  
  
But...you never came.  
  
I was so excited...  
  
Ciel struggled against the people who held him down, but it was no use. Tears welled up in his eyes.   
  
'Isabella...'_

 _His scream of pain echoed the room as steam rose from his side._  
  
"Yes...happy birthday to me." He turned and began to walk up the stairs.  
  
You looked after him with curious eyes. "Master?" He didn't stop as he spoke.  
  
"This is ridiculous. Bring me my tea."  
  
Sebastian bowed his head. "Certainly, master." You both stared after him.  
  
**. . .  
  
*Knock* *knock* *Knock***  
  
"Hello? Is anyone there? Hello?" You walked to the front door and opened it, seeing a young man who was shivering as if ice was in his pants.  
  
"Oh! Good evening, miss. Pardon me, but is this the home of Earl Phantomhive?" He politely asked with chattering teeth.  
  
"Yes, but my master is busy at the moment. What is the purpose of a visit in such an ungodly hour?"  
  
He dryly laughed. "Apologies for coming so late, ma'am, but I bring a message from her majesty." Your eyebrows rose up as he reached in his bag and pulled out a letter with the royal seal, handing it to you with trembling hands.  
  
You grabbed it from him and studied it for a moment. "Thank you, I shall deliver it immediately. Have a good night, now." You closed the door and headed straight for Ciel's study.  
  
"Uh, hello! Miss?"  
  
**. . .**  
  
You quickly walked down the hallway, nearing Ciel's study. "Elizabeth's disappeared?"  
  
You stopped in your tracks and looked into the room, seeing Sebastian before Ciel. "Yes. Her maid says she lost track of her when they were struck in traffic in Islington." He informed.  
  
Ciel stood up from his chair. "Then that's where we are headed. Honestly, what was she thinking?" They acknowledged your presence when you walked in and held out the letter.  
  
"Before that, sir, I think you should look at this." He looked down at the seal, then tilted his head with wide eyes and a scoff.  
  
After a brief silence, he sighed and took it from you, sliced it open and read it aloud. "Scotland yard has been investigating a series of kidnappings. The targets are always young girls. Their bodies have not turned up yet, but their most likely dead. The kidnapper sends a piece of the hope diamond to each of his victims before taking them. The very diamond is said to bring a curse on whoever owns it. The gem we were recently chasing after, who knew we'd hear about it again like this."  
  
"What now, my lord?" You asked.  
  
He dropped the letter on his desk and looked up at the both of you. "We do what the queen has asked of us. That is always our first priority." He looked directly at you. "My job as guardian of the underworld."  
**  
. . .  
**  
You didn't even have to stare out the window to become lost in thought. Since this morning, you have been on high alert over your surroundings, determined to keep Ciel protected.  
  
Sebastian felt how tense you were, yet he said nothing, since he felt if he were to point it out, the break in this endless game of cat and mouse you had earlier would mean nothing.  
  
But of course, that was the last thing on your mind. Instead, it remained on the two demons who had threatened your master. Or more specifically, a certain pink haired snake demon.  
  
"What is it?" You looked at Sebastian when he spoke then followed his gaze to Ciel, who was staring out the window.  
  
"Are you prepared? I have an order to give the both of you."  
  
You straightened up and gave him your full attention. "Yes."  
  
"Question everyone who knew the victims: friends, family, and make up a suspect list. Get names and addresses. Then search the crime scene. It shouldn't take long, 3 hours shall be enough." He never looked away from the window.  
  
You narrowed your eyes and looked beyond the window, seeing two dark figures into the distance, then looked back at him. "And what of you, young master? Surely, you'll need someone by your side if you wish to travel on your own."  
  
He stayed silent and looked at your reflection in the glass. "While you're both seeing to that, I have some other business to take care of. Am I understood?"  
  
Your gaze dropped down while Sebastian answered. "Perfectly, sir."  
  
"Then hurry and get on with it."  
  
You couldn't help but smile to yourself at how impatient he was. "Yes, as you wish my lord."  
  
As the carriage drove down the dark road surrounded by the nightly forest, you and Sebastian soared up from the carriage and landed on the ground. You stood up and looked back at the carriage as it disappeared into the night.  
_  
Ciel, please don't do anything foolish. That's our job. Yours is only to order us to do it._  
  
"Isabella." You looked ahead at Sebastian as he stood waiting for you, before you both ran down the road and vanished into the woods.  
  
**. . .**  
  
Ciel walked down the dark streets of London and stopped by the entrance of an alley. "Paula said she lost Lizzie somewhere around here..."  
  
He then groaned in annoyance. "But why did I have to bring him with me?!" Pluto barked from beside him as he sat in his human form, wearing a tux.  
_  
Flashback...  
  
'You stood before Ciel, gripping Pluto by his collar and smiled at him. "Take this with you, young master. I think you might find it useful." Pluto started to wag his tail and panted as he looked up at you with a happy smile.'  
  
'Ciel looked him over. "Useful? How so?" Pluto stopped wagging his tail and looked at Ciel curiously.'  
  
'"Well, sir, if necessary, throw it at an attacker and run."'  
  
'Ciel looked over at Sebastian with a glare while you ignored him. "Simple. Put him to work. Pluto is a hound, sir, he can track anything and can protect you if needed." Ciel rubbed his head.'_  
**  
. . .**  
  
Ciel heavily sighed. "Well, anyway, you're a dog like Isabella pointed out. Which means you can track scents, can't you?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a red ribbon, then knelt down and held it out in front of Pluto. "Here's the ribbon from Lizzie's gift."  
  
Pluto sniffed it, then sneezed and scratched the back of his ear with his foot. "You stupid little mongrel! Is Sebastian and Isabella the only one's you'll listen to?!" Pluto suddenly pulled him along, nearly dragging him as he ran into the alley.  
  
Pluto charged forward towards a white female dog with a pink bow on, until Ciel held him back by his leash. "Why do you have to start looking for a mate now?!" _God, you really are like Sebastian_  
  
"Oh! A man looking for a mate? Perhaps I can help."  
  
The pink-bowed dog ran away into the night while Ciel looked up at the red man who stood on the roof with his back to him as he gazed at the moon. "I am a hunter of love and at last, my pray is before me! Red is the color of firey passion, and I am flaming!"  
  
Ciel gaped at him with wide eyes as flashbacks of the night of his aunt's death came to him. _Red..._ He clenched his teeth at him as Grell turned around.  
  
"A gorgeous man right there!" He pointed a finger towards Ciel and Pluto.


	22. His Maid, However You Please: 2/ Forlorn: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beauty is a dangerous quality to posess. There will always be those who wish to steal it away.

"You again!" Ciel sneered.  
  
"A deadly efficient butler—that's me!" Grell posed and stuck his tongue out.  
  
Ciel looked away from him as Grell shrugged. "Though I do find myself masterless at the moment." He jumped off the roof and landed before Ciel. "After the Madam Red incident, I was temporarily demoted. And now, I only get the lowliest of jobs. That brute Will told me I wouldn't get my old post back until I collected some truly troublesome souls. That rotten sadist!"  
  
He crossed his arms and tapped his chin in thought. "Although I must confess, I like rotten fruit every now and then." He shuddered in delight. "And those cold, bruting eyes of his sure keep me warm enough on a freezing night!"  
  
That was when he looked down and noticed Pluto, obediently sitting next to Ciel. "And whose this wild one? He's a cutie." He glanced over at Ciel, who looked as if ready to attack instead of Pluto.  
  
Grell tilted his head. "Oh dear. You aren't considering avenging your beloved aunt Red, are you? I mean that would just be silly."  
  
"You shut up!"  
  
"Now, now, be nice. I don't see Bassy or Izzy anywhere. What could a brat like you do without them?"  
  
"Be quiet!"  
  
Pluto then went forward and growled at Grell, who looked at him with widened eyes. "Oh, is he your protector for the evening?" He looked away and mumbled to himself. "Why does this little kid get all the good-looking men?"  
  
***bark*** Pluto charged forward, which made Grell hug himself. "Ooh, he's going to attack me!" He opened his arms to him. "Oh, how exciting! I'm all yours, but please be gentle-" It was only when Ciel ran passed him did he notice Pluto had charged passed him and towards another direction. "Hey! What am I—chopped liver?!"  
  
Ciel ran after Pluto, until he stopped upon seeing Pluto was in front of a doll shop, with a familiar looking doll on display with curly blonde hair, green eyes and a pink dress.  
  
"Lizzie!" He went to go towards it, but stopped once he noticed Grell beside him reading a book.  
  
"Look what we have here. Number 493 on the To-Die-list: butler and puppeteer to the house of Mandalay." He looked up at the shop. "A Mr. Drossel Keinz."  
  
***smash* *bark* *bark***  
  
Ciel looked back, to see Pluto had jumped through the window then proceeded to run to the building and throw the door open. Pluto was crouched down with the doll in his mouth.  
  
Pluto ran to Ciel as he crouched down and took the doll from him. The first thing Ciel noticed was the orange bow wrapped around the doll. The bow Lizzie had been wearing as a barrete earlier. _Lizzie_  
  
He looked around and noticed the back door was open. They all ran out the door and stopped at the site of a large, old castle. Lizzie's somewhere in that mansion. I know it.  
  
"Goodness, not exactly the most welcoming of places is it?" Grell stepped forward and looked up at it with a hand on his hip.  
  
Ciel looked over at Grell. _This is the man who killed Madam Red. But...I need him._ Memories of Lizzie flashed through his mind as he looked down.  
  
"Fine, Grell. Come in with me."  
  
"Huh?" Grell looked over at him in surprise.  
  
"Protect me and I'll grant a request."  
  
He scoffed. "How insulting. Earl or not, you think I am the type of woman you can just buy with money-"  
  
"I'll give you Sebastian for a day and you can do whatever you want with him." He looked up at Grell with a smirk.  
  
Grell stopped and tapped his chin. "Sebastian-and whatever I want to do?" He grinned and beamed down at Ciel. "Even kissing?!"  
  
Ciel shrugged. "If that's what you want."  
  
Grell gasped. "Does that mean I can use tongue?!"  
  
A smirk crawled up Ciel's face. "Do anything you please with him."  
  
Grell almost fainted from his fan-girling, but then he stopped and thought about something. "I wonder—could this affect dear Izzy in any way?"  
  
Ciel chuckled. "No need to worry about Isabella. She hates him."  
  
"Are you sure about that?"  
  
"Oh please, she barely let's him in the same room with her, let alone something as intimate as kissing. It really is a wonder how they get anything done together."  
  
Grell squealed in excitement. "Its an offer I couldn't possible refuse! I'm deadly serious!" He posed (again)  
  
**. . .  
**   
*slam* Grell held the main doors open. "All right, here we go! ...eh?" His smile dropped as they all stared at the life-size realistic girl doll standing on a pedestal in the center of the room, her eyes cast downwards, staring into nothingness.  
  
They ran forwards and stopped in front of her, but a certain blue diamond had caught the reaper's eye. "Hey, look. That ring's a lot like yours, isn't it?" Ciel looked down at the familiar blue ring upon the girls right thumb.  
  
The hope diamond? He looked closely at her face. This doll looks like...  
  
He thought back to the photo of the girl that came with the queens letter.  
  
  
  
  
  
Impossible! The girl's eyes rolled down and her arm suddenly reached out and grabbed his throat. He put a hand over hers, but she was too strong. In a desperate attempt, he looked over at Pluto. "H-help, Pluto!"  
  
Unfortunately, Pluto was a little busy playing with his new toy, one of the small dolls. "You stupid useless mongrel!"  
  
A glass bulb suddenly fell and hit her on the head, which made her release her grip on Ciel and make him fall to the ground. "Now, why would you call the puppy—when you should be calling me?"  
  
He looked up at the red grim reaper that was standing on the chandelier. "Grell!"  
  
He rubbed his hands together. "As a reaper, I have all the tools needed for harvesting a soul." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two pairs of scissors. "My death scythe!"  
  
Ciel stood up and looked at him in confusion. "Um, but aren't those just... scissors?"  
  
Grell flailed his arms around. "What do you want me to do?! Will took away my personally modified death scythe! I miss it so much!" He stopped and grinned. "I'll show you! I'll snip her into bits!" He leaped off the chandelier.  
  
Ciel held up a hand. "Hold on! Don't hurt her! She isn't actually a doll!"  
  
"Death! Welcome to the after life!" He soared down and sliced her neck as she approached Ciel, then landed on the ground in front of him.  
  
Ciel ran to the girl as she fell, but stopped as saw dust poured out of her neck. "Maybe she was a doll after all."  
**_  
_**_**♪ Wood and clay will wash away, wash away, wash away♪**_  
  
They both looked to the double doors as they opened up and out stepped a man with light orange hair that was cut in flares, tossed aside from his eyes, and bangs that reached his chin. His eyes looked as if they were made of glass, being amethyst and stir emotionless. He wore a blue and pink eye shadow to accentuate, as well as, below his right eye, was painted a blue fleur-de-lis.  
  
His attire consisted of a blue tailcoat, gold piping and a red ribbon tied in a bow around his neck, and a black top hat decorated with a red ribbon and two black feathers. Along with short black pants, white gloves, knee high black-white striped socks, and black boots with gold buttons.  
  
His face was illuminated by the candelabra in his hand. "What a useless doll. She was another failure." He walked forward and stopped a few feet from them. "So then, I thought to myself: In order to succeed, I must make them considerably stronger than this."  
  
Ciel rose up and watched him as he raised his arm and moved it to the lyrics. **_♪ Build it up with iron and steel, iron and steel, iron and steel♪ ♪ Build it up with iron and steel, my fair lady♪_** From the shadows he came from, several life-size doll girls came out and stopped in front of the ginger. He then backed away and disappeared back into the darkness.  
  
Ciel looked at all of their faces. "I've seen them before."  
  
Grell snipped his scissors. "I'm not going to let anyone take away my day with dear sweet Bassy!" He charged forward, with Ciel once again putting a hand up.  
  
"Hold on, Grell—wait!"  
  
"Take this, dolls!" He went towards one of the girls, who blocked him, which made him fall back. He looked at her with wide eyes. "I-I couldn't cut them!"  
  
The skin that had covered the girl's hands was gone, exposing her steel hands. They all started to march towards them.  
  
"Grell, this is an order! You and Pluto—" Who was still playing with his toy in the corner. "—stay here and keep the dolls occupied. Play with them...for as long as it takes."  
  
Grell liked back at him in fear. "Huh?"  
  
Ciel took out the ring that had been on the first doll's finger and clenched his fist around it.  
  
A doll had soared towards Grell, who moved back in time, making her steel hand stab the ground where he was. He looked to the side when Ciel ran past them. "You're going to leave me here?! Not very human of you!"  
  
"I'm the inhuman one?" Ciel replied as he ran out of the room.  
  
_The dolls look just like the pictures of the kidnapped girls. No, the dolls are the girls. That means...Lizzie..._ He thought as he ran up the flight of stairs and into the main ballroom.  
  
"Ciel Phantomhive." Ciel stopped in the center of the room and looked up at the ginger that sat up on the balcony, watching him. "You are indeed a beautiful specimen. I'll have to make you into a doll worthy of such exquisite beauty."  
  
Ciel turned and gazed up at him. "What have you done with Elizabeth?"  
  
The ginger seemed to ignore him and only pulled his hat over his eyes. "Now, what material shall we use for you? Clay will wash away too easily, but iron is far too crude for you."  
  
Ciel clenched his teeth in both anger and annoyance as the ginger raised his hat to look directly at Ciel. "So then, I thought to myself-" Ciel didn't wait for him to finish as he kept running, until he left the room.  
  
The ginger rose his hands and conducted the lyrics. **_♪ Build it up with silver and gold, silver and gold, silver and gold♪_**  
  
Ciel opened the door to find himself in a black room with white painted masks mounted on the walls. Then, the masks opened their mouths and sang in a perfect harmony.  
**_  
_**_**♪ Build it up with silver and gold, silver and gold, silver and gold♪ ♪Build it up with silver and gold, my fair lady♪**_  
  
Ciel covered his ears and kept running as the singing continued.  
  
**_♪ Build it up with silver and gold, silver and gold, silver and gold♪ ♪Build it up with silver and gold, my fair lady♪_**  
  
The voices seemed to grow louder as he ran up a flight of stairs and into another room, slamming the door behind him.  
  
He was panting as he leaned his back against the door. But when he caught his breath, his eyes widened at the familiar symbol that made up the floor. The symbol that forever left his mark on him.  
  
"That day...my birthday...my life changed forever. As long as I live, I will never know a happy birthday again." His eyes narrowed. "Never!"  
  
"Truly master, nothing good ever happens on your birthday, does it?"  
  
Ciel froze at the familiar female voice and turned towards the open window. His eyes widened at the two shadowy silhouettes behind the curtain that was currently blowing inside.  
  
"You lost your parents, your home, and this time, you stand to lose Lady Elizabeth." The curtain blew to the side, which revealed you and Sebastian sitting on the window seal with your legs crossed.  
  
Ciel sneered at the both you, but mostly at the person who had just spoken. "Isabella!"  
  
You were both silent, but he only seemed to get angrier. "Take that back, right now."  
  
You tilted your head. "What do you mean?"  
  
He stepped forward and clenched his teeth."I won't let you taunt me!"  
  
You smiled and looked down. "Master, earlier you had informed me you had some business to take care of. This "business" of yours—did it include endangering yourself? In a misguided effort to rewrite the past, I mean." You looked up at him knowingly, but he only continued to coldly glare at you. You softly chuckled.   
  
Sebastian outstretched his hand. "Do you remember what you said at the frost fair? About your body? About your ring?" When Ciel didn't respond, he continued. "What you said—was both had been shattered and reborn. And that you no longer had any fear of being broken, yourself."  
  
"I remember. You don't need to remind me." Sebastian smirked at the harshness in Ciel's voice.  
  
**_♪Build it up with iron and steel, iron and steel, iron and steel♪_**  
  
You looked at Ciel curiously as he turned and faced the double doors. Seconds later, they opened and an entire group of girl dolls entered in.  
  
**_♪Build it up with iron and steel, my fair lady♪_**  
  
Ciel's eye widened. "They defeated Grell."  
  
You jumped off the ledge and walked over to them, paying close attention to the music the dolls seemed to be moving to. "Interesting. They appear to be controlled by the singing of that song."  
  
_If the lyrics are build it up with iron and steel, that seems to give them strength to move. But, if you change the lyrics, you could break them..._  
  
"In which case..." You folded your hands over your stomach. **_♪ Iron and steel will bend and bow♪_**  
  
Ciel looked up at you in surprise. ** _♪ bend and bow, bend and bow♪_** The music ceased, along with the dolls, who began to move their heads to your voice. **_♪ Iron and steel will bend and bow, my fair lady♪  
_**   
You jumped up, landed behind one of the dolls and bent her iron neck, which popped open. As you continued, the dolls' metal necks had all bent open. _**♪ Iron and steel will bend and bow, bend and bow, bend and bow♪**_ You outstretched your arms and stood in the middle of them as they all broke.  
  
**_♪ Iron and steel will bend and bow, my fair lady♪_** As you finished the last line, you bowed before Ciel and lowered your head.  
  
He glared down at you. "Who are you calling a lady?" You looked up at him with a smirk and raised an eyebrow.  
  
You then stood up as Sebastian walked over and looked at him. "Now, young master, let us go."  
  
"I think not."  
  
You all turned at the ginger that stood in the doorway, surrounded by the fallen dolls, now carrying a music box, painted with a blue fleur-de-li around his neck that you assumed was the origin of the music.  
  
"Ciel Phantomhive, you are now the property of my master." From the corner of your eye, you swore you saw a vein pop out on Ciel's forehead.  
  
My, someone doesn't look very pleased.  
  
"'Property'? Who do you think you—"  
  
"The proof is there. You're marked by the very ring you're wearing." Ciel stopped and looked down at the ring upon his finger.  
  
"I know what it is. That is a Hope peace. The same gem my master sends as a token to those who are destined to become his dolls."  
  
Sebastian narrowed his eyes at him. "What master?"  
  
He raised his arms out. "It's been decided—Ciel Phantomhive is going to become a doll. An exquisite doll made of silver and gold."  
  
You gave a smug smile, then raised a finger and moved it to your voice. **_♪ Silver and gold will be stolen away, stolen away, stolen away♪_**  
  
The ginger's eyes widened. "What?" He watched and reached out as Sebastian picked Ciel up bridal style and you both jumped out the window. You, of course, throwing one last smirk over your shoulder before disappearing into the night.  
  
The ginger walked to the center of the room and looked out the window. "He was indeed stolen away." He slumped down to his knees with his head down. "However, I am thinking to myself..." He looked up. "Ciel Phantomhive will return. Whether he wants to or not."


	23. His Maid, Forlorn: 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like a helpless puppet, he is manipulated by the horrible memories he cannot let go. Young master, I did not return to serve such a feble soul. Stand tall. Look to the sky. And join me. 
> 
> ♪London bridge is falling down♪
> 
> Next time on Black Maid: "His Maid, Forlorn"
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

The sharpness of the wind blew in your face as you both soared through the air and landed on a bridge of the river.

Sebastian put Ciel down as you knelt down and took a leaf off of his shoulder. "There, you're safe."

***smack***

Your eyes widened by the slap that was as loud as a clap and stung your face. It had been an open-handed smack and it had left a red welt behind. Just below your eye was a small cut where Ciel's ring had caught you.

You just stared at him. But Sebastian on the other hand...

Let's just say the white knuckles from clenching his fists too hard, and faint sound of gritted teeth from effort to remain silent was clear enough to his reaction. Through the haziness of anger, he sneered only one word. "Master."

Ciel grabbed you by the collar of your shirt and pulled your face down to his. "What about Lizzie?! She's still in there! Did I order you to solve the recent string of kidnappings, or didn't I?!"

He released you and walked ahead to glare up at Sebastian, who looked just about ready to tell him off. "Lizzie is one of the kidnapped victims, saving her is the first priority—"

"If it is an order against the contract, I cannot obey it."

Ciel stopped his ranting and stared at Sebastian, who smiled. "You're first priority is always orders from the queen. Similarly, my first priority is your life."

Ciel looked away and stared at his reflection in the river as he continued. "I have devoted myself to your service and protection. It's been more than two years now.

He looked back at Sebastian, now seeing his eyes a glowing pink-slitted. "I can't let someone steal you away after all this time, now can I?"

Ciel stared at him, then turned back to look at you as you stayed in the same position you were when he had slapped you. "Well, what's your excuse? You don't have a master to hold a contract with—so why are you here now?"

_That is a very good question_

You slowly stood up with your back to him. "You are right. I don't have a master."

He froze at your response. "What?"

Your fists clenched as your eyes turned demonic. "My master is dead. I do not have a contract to fulfill. I don't have any orders to obey."

His teeth clenched while Sebastian only watched in curiosity. "Then why? Why are you here? You have no place here—you have no business here, so why did you come back?!"

Your eyes cast downward to stare at your reflection as you eyed your ring.

_Flashback..._

_"No matter what may come of me, your first priority will always remain Ciel. You will protect and serve him as you have done for me and more, by any means necessary."_

_"Yes, my lord."_

"Because he wanted me to."

When he stayed silent, you turned around to narrow your eyes at him. "I made a promise to Vincent that I would stay by your side and forever protect and serve you until I witnessed your death. I came back because it broke him by the thought of you being alone, Ciel. And yes, I will call you Ciel, because that is who you are, Ciel Phantomhive. Though it may not be what you want, you will always come first before any order you may give me, because you are not my master, you do not have a contract with me, and I am not yours to pawn."

He said nothing. He stared. He was still. And he was silent.

You unclenched your fists and looked down, that was when you noticed your demonic side was covering the entire bridge in darkness. Very slowly, the shadows returned back to your feet.

When you blinked, your eyes returned to their normal crimson color and they looked up at Ciel as he went in his pocket and pulled out the second ring from the doll and placed it on top of his ring.

Sebastian looked at him in surprise. "Master?"

"Apparently, the hope peace is what marks the Master's next target." He held up his hand to the both of you and smirked. "And I have two of them. I guess that means I've been doubly marked. Protecting me will be a difficult task."

You both had smirked and bowed at him. "We are not afraid of hard work."

***howl***

You all turned to look beyond the trees. "Pluto?" Ciel questioned.

"We searched the mansion top to bottom." Sebastian turned towards a tall structure. "We weren't able to find any sign of Lady Elizabeth."

"That leaves one place." You stepped up next to him to look up at a tall, boarded up tower. "She must be in that sealed up tower."

**. . .**

***bark* *bark* *bark***

Pluto barked up at the tall tower, but was being held back by a certain reaper, who was struggling to keep him at bay.

Grell sweat dropped. "Hey, now! Calm down! What's wrong with you, puppy?!"

***bark* *bark* *bark***

They were both too busy with each other that they didn't notice Ciel, followed by you and Sebastian run up behind them. "Well that's a surprise. You're still alive?" Ciel called out.

Grell turned around and grinned. "Oh, bassy!!" He lunged forward at Sebastian, until Pluto had trampled over him and climbed onto you.

Grell looked up at him as he wrapped his legs around your waist, with you having put a hand on your hip and he scowled. "How rude!" He then stood and rose up a finger. "Wait a second. A demon hound? Really?"

Ciel rolled his eyes. "You're just now noticing?"

Grell put his hands on his head, then screamed and hugged himself. "Ooh la la! A night with a demon hound! How sexy!"

The look on your face was enough to show your emotions. "You really have no standards."

You then looked at Pluto, who was nibbling on your shoulder. "Now, I've been waiting for you, Pluto."

He stopped and looked at you curiously. "Er?"

He looked ahead when you walked towards the double doors. "That door, like all doors in Hell, has been sealed with unnatural power. And like all doors in Hell, only a demon hound can open it."

You stopped in front of the door and looked at Pluto as his color glowed white and he dropped down on the ground.

"Look, his collar's shining." Ciel said from behind you.

"And so is the door." Grell added as they looked at the glowing door.

Pluto gritted his teeth as he struggled to remove his collar, until his entire being shined brightly. What emerged was the large white hound Pluto truly was. He did a loud howl.

Meanwhile, Grell was fan-girling again. "Oh! He's so big!"

The doors creaked open, with Pluto running inside once they fully opened.

Ciel ran up in front of you while Sebastian walked up beside you. "He's run off again."

"No need to worry." Ciel looked back at you as you smirked. "Well follow him in. He should prove to be a serviceable guide."

**. . .**

The stairs ahead were twisted in a perfect spiral, like a child's slinky toy pulled from each end. Each stair was likely a deep walnut, but with the thick layer of undisturbed dust it was hard to tell.

As you all raced up each step, you were headed towards one goal. And once you reached the top, you all stopped at a door. Sebastian went forward and looked back at Ciel, before opening it and you all entered.

The room itself was ancient. Dusted rose brick covered walls, that had gold, stone, silver, iron drawn in chalk and crossed out. But, what caught Ciel's attention was the little girl in the pink dress that sat at the far end of the room with her head down and her hands neatly folded over her dress.

"Lizzie!" Ciel ran towards her and stopped, fearing the worst when she didn't respond. "Lizzie?"

She didn't move a single muscle.

He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her. "Lizzie!"

The rest of you stood behind him and watched, that was until Grell just had to speak. "Oh my, it looks like we're too late."

Ciel stared at her, waiting for a sign of hope. "Wake up." He muttered, then shook her again. "Lizzie! Lizzie, wake up! Lizzie!"

Very very slowly, her soft lids opened and her green orbs were revealed.

Ciel stopped with wide eyes as she rose her head to look at him. "Wh-what...?"

"Lizzie..." He sighed in relief and clutched his chest. "You're okay."

"That's the ring..." Her soft voice quietly said.

He looked up at her, then at the extra ring on his finger as she softly smiled at it. "So did you like it? That makes me happy...so happy..."

He froze in realization. "That was her gift for you. The one you didn't open." Sebastian said.

You looked over at Grell as he yawned in boredom and shook your head at him.

"How foolish. She didn't have to..." The glimmer of a string made everyone go quiet as Lizzie's right arm rose up.

"And why did she?" A voice said.

Lizzie suddenly flew up into the air with her arms spread out as she looked down at the 4 of you in surprise.

"Why is her body moving without her control?"

As Ciel gazed up at her, you, Sebastian, and Grell were looking around for the source of the voice.

"Why..." She held her arms out in front of her as a large axe came towards her and she caught it. "...is she going to hurt the one person she loves most?"

Her eyes widened in fear. "What's happening to her?" Ciel asked, right before she lifted the axe above her head and swung down at him.

"No!"

In a flash, you appeared behind Ciel and grabbed him as Sebastian blocked his front and you both jumped back, the blade instead colliding with the ground.

"No!" She swung again, but you both once again moved back and she hit the brick wall.

"No! No! No!" She kept swinging her axe, but you moved each time.

"Look sharp, Grell!" Sebastian called out as you all avoided another swing of the sharp blade.

In case you were wondering, Grell was clipping his nails as this happened.

"Can't you see what's happening?" You called out as Sebastian pushed you back and you kept a firm grip on Ciel.

Grell sighed. "I suppose so. But I would hate to chip one of my blades, so..."

As her blade nearly reached your face and had forced you back against the wall, Sebastian reached out and caught it. He then turned to Grell and smiled. "Please do help us out, Grell."

He instantly perked up and grinned at him. "Oh, Bassy! How can I deny you? Well then, when we kiss—can there be a little bit..." He looked at him and smirked. "Of tongue?"

Sebastian looked at him and furrowed his brows. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He then looked directly at you and smirked. "But as Isabella surely knows, I can in fact tie a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue."

I'm not even joking, I've never seen Grell fangirl like this, I can't even describe it.

Grell got up and gasped. "Oh, yes!" His smile fell. "Wait. What do you mean as Isabella surely knows? You don't actually mean that you and Izzy—"

You sighed. "Grell!"

"Fine, I'm going, but we have much to discuss later!" He raced forward beside Lizzie and pulled out his so called "death scythe" "I can't allow a little girl like you to yield a better blade then I do." He smirked. "Unforgivable."

Ciel realized what he was going go do and shouted. "No, Grell, stop!"

But it was too late, as Grell had done his work with his blades and Lizzie fell to the ground with her axe falling beside her.

Ciel pried himself from your arms and knelt down beside her, where Sebastian was also kneeling. "Is she alright? What happened?"

Sebastian leaned over and picked up a piece of string from her waist and looked at it. "A puppet string." Ciel looked at him, then down at Lizzie.

Grell stood triumphantly and snipped his scissors. "Only a death scythe could've cut it with such ease. Well, Sebastian? Aren't I amazing? Tell me how good I am."

Sebastian stood up and looked at Grell. "Well done. Perhaps you should run with scissors more often."

"Oh, I am just flattered to death!" He posed with his scissors.

You walked forward and looked up. "Now let's see, where does the string lead to...?"

Up in the dark corners of the tower, the ginger tapped his chin and pondered to himself. "So then I began thinking to myself: "

He rose his hands and a sudden pressure around your arms made you realize he had wrapped his strings around the 4 of you. "I have three new dolls at my disposal. What material should I use this time?"

You tilted your head up at him. "Indeed. And of what materials are you made?"

He was taken back by your question. "Me?" He looked up in thought. "Huh. I don't know. What am I made out of?"

You smiled. "Well, I'm not sure. But whatever materials were used don't seem to be made of the highest quality."

"Oh my, so then I thought to myself: I have always believed that I was human. But, lately..." He brought his pinky to his ear and twisted it, still speaking as saw dust rained out of it. "I often find termites crawling out of my ears. Isn't that strange?"

Sebastian narrowed his eyes, then looked down at the axe on his foot and managed to kick it up with a force that knocked the ginger back as it knocked his chin up.

The strings that held you in place fell to the ground as Sebastian caught the axe and looked at Grell. "Now, Grell."

Grell smiled. "Oh, bassy! Well work together as one, united by—" Grell had ran towards him, but was cut off as Sebastian used him as leverage and jumped off his head and up to where the ginger was.

Time seemed to stop as Sebastian rose up, to be face-to-face with the ginger. "You are utterly lacking in style. You are no Butler." Sebastian brought the axe over his head and swung down on the ginger's head.

You were standing behind Ciel as he held Lizzie in his arms when the ginger's body fell on Grell, (who was still on the floor), followed by the axe.

You looked up when Sebastian landed on the ground and stood up. "I'd never lose to someone so helplessly inferior."

Your eyes moved to Grell as he slowly inched his way closer to Sebastian. "Oh, that's my bassy! So stylish!"

Ciel looked down at the ginger. "So he was a doll too?"

Grell looked closely at him. "His name was Drossel Keinz. His soul was collected five years ago. But we still detected signs of his existence."

"He must've been fitted with a transit soul by somebody." You looked down at Ciel. "His master, maybe?"

"Ciel..."

Ciel looked down at Lizzie, whose eyes were now open. "You're awake. Let's get you home."

She softly smiled. "I want to give you...a real birthday party...can I?"

A small gasp escaped Ciel has he looked down. "Okay...we'll have a party."

She smiled, then closed her eyes. "You can rest now, Lizzie. It's all over now."

You looked to the side at the ginger who began to move. "It appears that it's not."

Everyone looked at him as he struggled to get up. "So then, I thought to myself: I still I have a task..." He managed to stand up and slowly walk to the double doors to the side. "...I must report...to my...master."

Grell looked at him weirdly as clumps of hay fell out of his head, yet he still walked to the doors. "What's wrong with this loon? He's all torn up and he still wants to serve his master?"

A small smile curved at your lips. "It appears you have judged him too hastily, Sebastian. Contract or not, he fulfills his master's wishes. He may be one hell of a butler."

Once he reached the doors, he pressed his palms against it. "Mas...ter...it's me..." The doors opened up and the ginger collapsed onto the floor.

You all ran inside and stopped upon seeing Pluto, laying obediently before what appeared to be a man in a chair, that had it's back to you.

"Why is he here?" Ciel questioned. Pluto looked up and licked the man's hand. "And why is he so friendly?"

"I'm terribly sorry. My butler's incompetence prevents me from offering you hospitality."As the man spoke, Pluto had moved to sit down in front of him.

"You're the one behind this? Why would you want to turn little girls into dolls?" Ciel was generally curious to why someone would actually do this as a hobby.

"Perfection is so difficult to attain. And when it is achieved, it is flating. Dollmaking is noble work, it preserves that which is most beautiful in this world. A doll is a perfect little person, forever frozen in time."

"I have to disagree." Grell interjected. "Those little brats of yours were anything but love—"

"Why are you after me?" Grell glared at Ciel, who had interrupted him.

"You won't win." Ciel pulled off the ring he had acquired from the doll. "I'm no-one's doll and I will never be apart of your collection. Here's your ring!" He threw the ring at the chair, that bounced off and landed on the ground.

"You ought to learn your place, boy."

Ciel scoffed. "What?"

"My butler's head was filled with straw. With such limited intellect, I don't imagine he could understand why I wanted you. Ciel Phantomhive, the matter of your death has been fated since the day of your birth. That body you wear is unclean."

Ciel's eyes widened. A flash of memory on what happened that night entered his mind. "But how? How could you know about that?"

"I cannot allow someone like you to live in this world. You're existence is a desecration. Unclean, unnecessary, unwanted. That is why I intend to erase you."

Ciel clenched his teeth. "What?!"

"Snuff him out." Your eyes narrowed at the chair that had started to shake. "He is unclean, unnecessary, unwanted! End him! End him! End him!"

"Stop talking!" Ciel ran forward and stopped in front of the man with a snarl, but his eyes widened in surprise.

The rest of you ran after him and stopped at the puppet of a man that occupied the chair. "It's a puppet." Sebastian said.

Really? I don't think we've noticed

Your eyes traveled downwards at the imposter's crotch.

And no, not for that reason, you dirty minded people.

At the small puppet that laid there. But when it moved and begun to climb out, Grell screeched and hid behind Sebastian.

The doll rose up and stared at the 4 of you, before it began to insanely laugh like a lunatic.

Ciel, startled, stepped back and bumped into you, but you were to focused on the doll as it jumped down and ran out of the room, with its maniacal laughter following.

"Sebastian, go catch that thing!"

"The person pulling the strings is elsewhere, my lord." Ciel looked at Sebastian when he spoke. "It wouldn't do us any good to give it a chase."

You took a close look around the room, and noticed an entire orchestra of strings crossing throughout the room. "Now I see, there were hidden strings woven throughout the entire room. How very unpleasant."

Ciel looked around, seeing the strings as well, then down at the ring he had thrown.

**. . .**

"Bassy!"

You all turned around and spotted Grell as he came flying towards Sebastian.

"My love! It's time for our kiss!" He puckered his lips as he got closer, but at the last moment, Sebastian ducked, which resulted in Grell instead kissing the dirt.

You turned and looked at Grell where he landed. "Well, young master, what now? Would you like us to avenge Madam Red for you?"

Grell's eyes widened and he quickly stood up. "W-what? On second thought, the kiss can wait until next time." In a flash, he was flying back in the air. "Bye-bye, Bassy!" He blew him a kiss, before disappearing from view.

"Wait, Grell!" Sebastian called.

"No, leave it. Not today." Ciel tiredly said, before walking up to you and peering down at Lizzie, who was asleep in your arms.

He touched her cheek, which made her smile in her sleep. "Elizabeth's here. I don't want her to see anymore bloodshed."

**. . .**

"Happy Birthday, Ciel!"

Ciel sat in his chair wearing his party hat Elizabeth made him put on, surrounded by the servants in the colorfully decorated room.

"Happy Birthday to you, master!" The servants cheered.

Lizzie clapped with a huge smile on her face. "This is fun, see!" "Best birthday ever, hurray!" Finny and Mey-Rin cheered.

The kitchen doors opened and you emerged carrying a plate of Christmas pudding.

Lizzie lit up at the sight of it. "It looks wonderful, Isabella!"

You smiled as you passed by the Christmas tree and placed it in front of Ciel. "Thank you, my lady."

You then looked down at Ciel. "Master, shall I serve the pudding now?" He sighed as you cut a piece and placed it on a plate for him.

"What a bother. You could've just cut it in a kitchen." Lizzie was smiling as he took a bite of the pudding. His eyes widened as he reached in his mouth and took out a ring—but not just any ring, the ring that was originally to be Lizzie's present to him. "What is this?"

You placed a hand over your stomach. "Well, the season is almost upon us. So, it is a traditional Christmas pudding. Whoever's piece has the ring is guaranteed happiness throughout the new year. It seems you've found the ring, master—"

Lizzie's squeal of excitement cut you off. She reached over and clamped her hand over Ciel's. "Did you hear that? You can finally be happy again! I'm so glad."

Ciel had a look of confusion. "I don't think tha—"

"Paula!" Lizzie looked back at her maid. "Ring the bells!"

Paula smiled. "Yes! Right away!" _**♪Jingle♪ ♪Jingle♪ ♪Jingle♪ ♪Jingle♪ ♪Jingle♪ ♪Jingle♪**_

Everyone started laughing and cheering at Paula, all while Ciel looked away with a blush. "How ridiculous."

**. . .**

***knock* *knock***

"Allow me, master." You moved over to the door and opened it, with Sebastian wheeling in a cart of tea. You closed it behind him and walked back beside him.

Ciel looked at the ring he had once again received. "I cast this ring away and now, here it is again."

Sebastian hummed as he poured the tea into a cup. "Today's events aside, it's still a present Lady Elizabeth went a great deal of trouble to acquire for you."

You smiled. "Yes. But cursed ring or not, we will always protect you." You looked down at him as Sebastian handed him the cup of tea.

Ciel looked up at you, then to the side. "Hmph."

"What do we know about the mansion?"

You stepped forward. "Well, it's been empty for quite some time. It's owner, the Earl of Mandalay, resides in a sanatorium."

Ciel rose an eyebrow. "In all likelihood, he has nothing to do with this, then."

"Yes, so it would seem."

He looked down in thought. "But still, that crest we saw..."

Sebastian smirked. "Is there something bothering you?"

For a moment he was silently lost in his thoughts, then he shook his head. "It's nothing. I'm going to retire now."

You bowed your head. "As you wish, my lord."

He stood up from his desk and walked around. "Come, Sebastian."

"Certainly."

You kept your head down as they walked out of the room and waited until he closed the door.


	24. His Maid, Freeloader: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An odd fellow has come to visit us all the way from exotic India. Prince Soma's immaturity rivals that of a certain Earl I know.  
> He is personally attended by a competent maid named Ayani.  
> Young master, that particular pairing seems to be rather popular, hasn't it?  
> Next time on Black Maid: His Maid, Freeloader  
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I understand if people don't like this, we are all entitled to our opinion.  
> I have made a bold decision and don't kill me Agni fangirls, but I genderbent him in here as a girl named Anala.  
> I just think it would better fit my story if he was a girl because the cooking competition and where she's at in the story right now. It just fits, okay? So don't hate me, don't stop reading the story. Just roll with it, okay? Thank you.

The snow was getting heavier now, swirling down in great flurries over the silent town, purposefully filling foot shaped imprints in the crisp, bitter snow. Christmas was almost here.  
  
The streets were empty, still immersed in the darkness that came before the late December dawn. Naked trees dotted along the edge of the lanes creaked under the weight of the snow laying innocently on their branches that slid onto the ground during the sigh of the wind.  
  
Yet, the cold atmosphere was blocked by glass and wood.  
  
The curtains pulled to the side, revealing the blanket of snow that covered the balcony, the trees, the gardens, the frozen fountain and the road. It was a finishing touch of winter atmosphere to the freshly clean bedroom you had just finished.  
  
You clapped your hands free of the dust that formed from the cleaning and frowned at the room. But, you weren't sure why.  
  
The bed was made, the books and furniture dusted, the pillows fluffed, the floor swept, and every detail was perfected. It wasn't the state of the room you were frowning at. It was the fact that it would be the last time you would gaze upon this room.  
  
Your eyes cast downwards at the blood ring upon your dominant hand. You've repeated this to the point it became a habit. And every time you would sneak just a glance at it, one memory came to mind.  
  
_Flashback...  
  
When he stayed silent, you turned around to narrow your eyes at him. "I made a promise to Vincent that I would stay by your side and forever protect and serve you until I witnessed your death. I came back because it broke him by the thought of you being alone, Ciel. And yes, I will call you Ciel, because that is who you are, Ciel Phantomhive. Though it may not be what you want, you will always come first before any order you may give me, because you are not my master, you do not have a contract with me, and I am not yours to pawn."_  
  
Your hands involuntary twitched. You were ashamed of your actions. You treated your young master with unforgivable respect. But...you've also revealed to both Ciel and yourself that you truly had no purpose here. Looking back, you wondered what it was that made you come back. Surely, not because of some human that's already dead.  
  
With a sigh, you rose your hand up to the sapphire broach Ciel had given you and removed it from your collar to place it on the bed. This action was followed by the Phantomhive pocket watch and coat that was provided.  
  
Without another glance, you turned around and walked out of the room,, leaving the Phantomhive brand behind on your now former master's bed.  
  
**. . .  
**  
Your feet stopped at the base of the door to his study. You took a long moment to stare at it, before you rose your fist. But, just as you went to make contact with it's wood...  
  
"Enter"  
  
You stopped and dropped your hand, before twisting the knob and walking into the granted room.  
  
His back was to you. His hands behind his back as he stood, gazing out the window.  
  
You nearly froze at how alike he was to his father. Your master. Vincent.  
  
Stop it. Don't. He was just another soul that you collected. Nothing more.  
  
You closed the door and locked it, before walking to the center of the room and bowing. "I've come to extend my apologies for my blundered behavior and inexcusable outburst last night. And...to extend my resignation."  
  
He didn't look away. He didn't move from his spot. "Resignation?"  
  
You dropped your head. "Though it may have been inappropriate and unexcused, it was the truth, my lord. And I have no purpose being here. I had no right to return here when there was already a demon with a contract and a purpose here. My necessary punishment will await me with my king in hell. I am not worthy of being a servant of the Phantomhive family. And it appears I have been wrong...I am not one hell of a maid.  
  
You then grabbed the opening of your glove and pulled it off, followed by the other one. And, yes, you did stop to properly fold them. Old habits die hard, I guess.  
  
And you walked to Ciel's desk and placed them on the center. Then you turned, bowed and gave a small smile. "Goodbye, Lord Ciel Phantomhive."  
  
He was still and quiet as you walked to the door, but before you reached it, you stopped when he spoke.  
  
"Are you finished?"  
  
You spun around with furrowed eyebrows. "I'm sorry? I don't know what you mean."  
  
He turned around with a raised eyebrow. "Well, you seemed determined to finish your dramatic exiting monologue, I am asking if you are done."  
  
You tilted your head. "I—"  
  
"If you honestly believe I would allow you to resign whenever you pleased to, you are more idiotic than I expected."  
  
"My lord, I—"  
  
"You are my servant, Isabella. Despite any reason of you being here, that will certainly never change."  
  
"I understand, but last night—"  
  
"Even though I wasn't very fond of your new tone, you made an interesting point. I am not your master because we do not have a contract and because I don't, I cannot properly use you the way I like."  
  
You stepped closer to him. "And yet, you still plan to keep me?"  
  
He shrugged. "It is a problem. But, problems can be fixed."  
  
_What does he mean by that?_  
  
"And how do you plan to fix this problem?"  
  
He walked around until he was in front of you and looked up at you. "Simple." He reached behind his head and removed the eye patch that covered his right eye to display his contract mark with Sebastian. "I am going to make a contract with you."  
  
Your eyes widened. _Does he not realize the danger of that?_  
  
"Let's hurry this up. I've given this tremendous amount of thought and we have somewhere to be, so—"  
  
"I cannot."  
  
He stopped and looked up at you with a scoff. "Why not? You wish to stay, don't you?"  
  
"My lord, in order for a contract to be made, I must be summoned and the human must be desperately searching for a way out. Not only that, but you already have a contract, it wouldn't be fair to the other demon who has a claim on your soul already."  
  
"You don't eat souls. The contract can just be an addition to the other. In return, I will give you a countless amount of souls from the lives I take."  
  
"You are not in need of salvation. I'm afraid it isn't possible—"  
  
"Then what if I am in desperate need of a way out and my butler isn't there?"  
  
You were silenced instantly as you thought of the outcome. "Then, you would be a vulnerable soul for the taking."  
  
"Then, when the time comes, I want you to be there to be my salvation."  
  
Your lips twitched until they stretched into a grin. You placed a hand over your stomach and bowed your head. "If that is what you wish."  
  
He nodded, then moved to retie his eye patch on. "Now that is settled, I've received a letter from the queen. There's been a longing case of victims with the suspect leaving a calling card. We need to leave now."  
  
**. . .**  
  
"This fellow is a child of craziness and laziness. England is the blasphemous country that has taken all and forced on us, in arrogant ways, it's rotten culture. Retribution should befall the fools of the country that the hellcat rules!" Arthur angrily tore off the piece of paper from one of the several unconscious bodies that were hanging from the roof of a building in town.  
  
"This makes 20 victims so far!" His eyes narrowed as he looked at Abberline who stood beside him. "And you still haven't caught this criminal?! Explain!"  
  
Abberline shut his eyes. "I haven't and I'm sorry, sir Arthur!"  
  
His grip tightened on the paper as he glared down at it. "When Jack The Ripper slipped through our hands, that brat got all the credit."  
  
Abberline hummed as he looked through the files of the victims. "'Brat', sir? Who do you mean? You're speaking of Ciel Phantomhive?" He looked up at him. "You know, I can't help but feel he's carrying some immense bourdon on his shoulders." He looked down and muttered to himself. "He's still only a child."  
  
Abberline looked at him from the corner of his narrowed eyes. " 'Child'?"  
  
"So all the victims just returned home from India, then?"  
  
Abberline looked over and jumped once he saw Ciel, you and Sebastian beside him. "Oh! You're here!"  
  
Ciel didn't really notice his reaction. "But the culprit hasn't killed anyone yet."  
  
Arthur looked back to glare at Ciel over his shoulder as Ciel walked up and grabbed the note from him and looked it over.         " 'The child of craziness and laziness', this man does have a way of words, doesn't he? I agree our country would benefit if all these new varies fresh from India would disappear. But still..." He looked at the mark at the bottom of the page resembling a tongue sticking out in a mocking way. "I don't like this mark."  
  
Arthur snatched the paper back and glared at the mark. "With this, he's mocking the queen and all Englishmen, too. He's Indian, I'm certain of it!"  
  
Ciel looked down and smiled to himself. "Ah, I imagine that would be the reason I was called in." He looked back up at them. "Most of the Indians that come here illegally are staying in the criminal neighborhoods of the east end. And Scotland Yard still doesn't know their exact number or their precise location, does it?"  
  
Arthur narrowed his eyes at him.  
  
"I cannot allow her majesty to continue suffering such indignation." He looked back at you and Sebastian. "Isabella, Sebastian. Let's go."  
  
He began walking with the both of you following. "Sir." Arthur's glare followed as well.  
  
**. . .**  
  
"Alright, now which way is it?" He looked at Sebastian and narrowed his eyes as you all walked. "You better have done your homework correctly, I wouldn't want you enjoying your punishment for your behavior the other day."  
  
You sighed. "Not too mention how much convincing it took to the Scriven family that he disappeared."  
  
A smirk crawled up his face. "Though my apologies may be extended, I do not regret my actions."  
  
Ciel rolled his eyes. "Just tell us what street they are on."  
  
He smiled, then turned the corner. "I believe this area is where the bulk of the Indians have settled." You glanced around at the number of homeless Indians throwing you glares as you walked down the street.  
  
You hummed. "Well, it certainly appears to be a friendly neighborhood."  
  
Ciel also looked at them. "Yes." He was paying so much attention to them, that he didn't see the Indian stnding in front of him until he ran into him, and quickly stepped back.  
  
The man groaned. "Ah! That hurt!" He looked at him in anger. "Ah! You fiend, I've cracked a rib! I could die from this!"  
  
Ciel looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. "My apologies, I--"  
  
"Hey, what happened?"  
  
"Are you allright?"  
  
"How terrible, he should pay you back for that!"  
  
All the Indians walked up and surrounded him as he clutched his stomach. He looked up at Ciel and smirked. "Yes, give us all your money, brat."  
  
You looked behind you and saw more Indians surrounding the three of you. "What a cliché bunch of thugs we seem to have run into."  
  
Sebastian looked down at Ciel and started cracking his knuckles. "Master, shall we handle this?"  
  
Ciel looked directly at the man with poor acting skills. "Yes, but make it quick."  
  
You grabbed the end of your black glove and pulled it up. "Certainly."  
  
The fake injured man grabbed Ciel by the collar and mad him look at him. "Listen boy, you are outnumbered. Everyone within a mile of here hates you English dogs!" He pulled out a knife and pointed it at Ciel.  
  
You didn't really like that and you scowled, before flicking the man in the forehead. He fell back against a brick wall, making the Indians gasp. His eyes widened as a trickle of blood ran down his nose.  
  
You glared at him. "You, sir, have very rude manners." You then glanced at Ciel. "Did he hurt you at all, young master?"  
  
Ciel pulled down his hat. "He did not."  
  
"Damn brat!"  
  
You looked back at the man as he stood up with his knife and wiped the blood from his nose. "You take over our country, drag us here, and then throw us away like garbage!"  
  
A few more Indians stepped up and one of them spoke. "Your people have tracked your filth all over our homeland."  
  
"How about we show you the humiliation of being robbed, eh?!" The man raised his blade.  
  
"Excuse me."  
  
Your attention turned to a teenage Indian with dark skin, gold eyes, and long, wavy plum purple hair worn loose to his shoulders; part of it a ponytail clipped in place with a gold clip. He wore a sizable scarf knotted at his hips and a off-white shawl held in place by a ruby brooch set in a gold plate. He also sported large gold earrings, a decorative gold bindi, and white slippers.   
  
He held up a piece of paper with a cartoonish drawing of an Indian woman on it. "I am looking for this Indian woman. Perhaps you've seen her around here."  
  
Behind him was a a tall Indian woman with dark, olive skin, slate-gray eyes, and layered shoulder length, stark white hair. Two long locks of her hair were adorned with beads. She donned a white veil and a green saree with a yellow and white sash-over churidar. She wore silver hoop earrings and a decorative bindi. What caught your eye was her right hand and forearm that was wrapped in bandages as she followed behind the teenager, that was walking towards the group of Indians and you.   
  
The man snarled and turned around to look at him. "Who the hell are you? Just stay out of this!"  
  
He only smiled. "Oh my, are you fellows having a duel?" His smile dropped when he caught sight of you and Sebastian and looked at the woman. "He has a khansama and an amah with him." Then, he looked down at Ciel. "Are you an English nobleman?"  
  
Ciel narrowed his eyes. "What if I say I am?"  
  
The teenager put down the drawing and stopped as the woman stopped a few inches away from him. "Then I have no choice. I must side with my countrymen."  
  
He looked back at the woman. "Come, Ayani."  
  
She looked at him. "Yes, sir?"  
  
"Defeat the Englishman."  
  
She looked directly at Ciel. "Jo ãjñã." She walked forward and unwrapped the bandage from her hand. "I shall use my holy weapon. Which I was given that I shall serve my master." Her eyes moved to Ciel and she suddenly sprang forward.  
  
You grabbed Ciel and broke out into a run. She was gaining speed and thrusted her hand forward, nearly touching your shoulder until she was blocked by Sebastian's arm as he jumped in front of you. You pulled Ciel closer to you and buried his face in your chest, which made his face turn red as you used one arm to catch yourself on the ground. Sebastian grabbed her arm and twisted it, making her flip, but she still landed on her feet.  
  
"Sebastian." Just by saying his name, in a flash, you spun around and he caught Ciel and started running while you ran backwards, dodging her as she continued thrusting her arm in an attempt to hit you. She took one step that gave her the stamina to race at double speed. You were forced to stop and block as she jabbed her fingers at several areas of your arm and just barely blocked as she aimed for your head.  
  
"She's fast." You muttered to yourself.  
  
She did a back flip and landed a few feet from you in a fighting position, confusion crossing her face. "I have repeatedly struck many of your vital pressure points. Any normal person's arms would've gone numb by now. How are you moving?"  
  
You smirked as Sebastian ceased his running and Ciel wiggled free from his hold to glare at the teenager. "We weren't doing anything but walking down the street! Are you nothing but a wreck less savage who attacks anyone that walks by you?"  
  
The teenager's eyes widened. "What?" He looked back at the group of Indians. "Tell me, men. Did you attack this child for no good reason?"  
  
Their eyes widened and that was a clear answer to him. He crossed his arms and looked back at Ciel. "Unfortunately, my countrymen are wrong here." He looked at the woman named Ayani. "Ayani, we are on the Englishman's side, now."  
  
She turned her gaze towards the group of men with fearful looks and narrowed her eyes. "Right."  
  
**. . .**  
  
You all looked at the pile of Indians that were knocked unconscious and you couldn't help but feel a bit impressed by her work. Ayani stood up and bowed her head towards the teenager. "It is done, Prince Soma."  
  
He sighed and walked towards you, Sebastian and Ciel. "Good." He stopped to pick up Ciel's hat that was knocked off his head during the fight and looked at Ciel. "There is someone I need to find, so I will be going now. Goodbye." He threw the hat towards Ciel, who caught it and turned, then they both started walking away.  
  
He sighed again as they continued down the street. "These English streets are a conundrum."  
  
"Let's take our next left here."  
  
The three of you just stared with open mouths as they walked away.  
**  
. . .  
**  
"Well, that was a waste of time." Ciel complained as Sebastian closed the door.  
  
You tilted your head. "That man and that woman. One of them might be the culprit were looking for." You smiled as Sebastian took off Ciel's coat. "Let us wait for Sir Arthur to contact us."  
  
As Sebastian took his hat and coat, the doors behind them opened and the servants walked in. "Master, welcome home!"  
  
Ciel sighed and put a hand on his hip. "I'll never get any peace at this rate if I'm called to London for every silly little thing."  
  
You looked to the door as it opened and revealed Lau with a smile. "Ah, my lord, how good it is to see you."  
  
Ciel turned around. "What is he doing here? How many times have I told you to send a note first?"  
  
He laughed as he walked into the room. "Well, I haven't kept a tally."  
  
Sebastian looked at Ciel with a smile. "Shall I bring some refreshments for our guest? Perhaps some tea, my lord?"  
  
Ciel put a hand to his forehead. "Oh dear, you might as well."  
  
Lau smiled. "Perhaps Chai rather than Earl Grey?"  
  
"Fine, whatever." He looked up and froze at the sight of the two Indians from earlier standing in the doorway. His eyes went wide as he pointed at them. "Wha--how...?"  
  
That's when you all looked back at them. Lau smiled again. "Oh, them? I ran into them on the street corner, they said they wanted to speak with you."  
  
Ciel stepped forward. "So you just come barging in here?"  
  
The teenager smiled as Ayani shut the door. "Why, certainly. We are acquaintances now, surely you haven't forgotten me." They walked more into the room.  
  
"We met during a street brawl."  
  
"And if you recall, I saved you." Was his reply as he walked by him.  
  
His eye twitched. "Saved me?! Excuse you!"  
  
"Back home, if someone does you a favor, you offer them hospitality," He continued as he and his servant walked up the stairs, the servants only moved out of the way and watched. "Is it the British practice to leave your savior out in the cold?"  
  
Ciel growled as he went up the stairs, before running up there himself and you and Sebastian followed. He slammed one of the guest room doors open. "And just who the hell are you, anyway?!"  
  
He was already making himself comfortable by lying on the bed with one arm holding his head up while Ayani stood behind the bed. "Who am I? Why, I am a prince."  
  
You rose an eyebrow. "A prince?" That single word was enough to make the servants peer into the room from the door way.  
  
Ayani outstretched her bandaged hand towards him. "This is the son of the king of Bengal. Would you please extend your warm welcome towards my master, Prince Soma Asman Kadar."  
  
Finny gasped. "A real prince in our own home!"  
  
Mey-Rin covered her mouth. "Ooh, how exciting!"  
  
Bard smiled. "What an opportunity, I've never seen a prince up close before!"  
  
Soma gave a smug smile. "You may approach, I give you permission."  
  
They all hurried to stand in front of him, with Mey-Rin beaming at him. "This Bengal place sounds amazing! What's it like?"  
  
"It is a holy land blessed by the goddess, Kali."  
  
You looked to the side when Lau walked up. "I see you brought your servants into town with you this time."  
  
You turned towards him. "Yes, we were able to leave the guard dog to watch the mansion."  
  
Because someone preferred the servants over the demon hound.  
  
You glanced at Sebastian as Lau smiled. "Ah, it should be alright then."  
  
Ciel narrowed his eyes at Soma. "Sebastian, find everything you can on his royal highness and don't stop until you are certain you found everything." His eyes travelled up to Ayani. "Isabella, do not let them out of your sight for a moment."  
  
You put your hand on your stomach as Sebastian did his heart. "Yes, my lord."


	25. A Night To Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a one-shot, just a little background on Isabella and Vincent.

Another day of broken promises. Another ball out of our expenses. Another day of high expectations.

I walked up to the tall mirror within my room and frowned at it's reflection.

"Vincent! Are you ready, dear?"

My head turned towards the door and I gave a close eyed smile, a habit of mine. "I'll be right down, mother!"

"The carriage is awaiting us, hurry up, now!"

My smile dropped. I sighed as my hand ran through my hair and I looked back at my reflection. "Just another day."

**. . .**

As I reached the bottom of the staircase, my temporary closed smile returned. Mother turned around and walked up to place her hands on my shoulders. "Vincent, look at you, making us late again."

No matter how often she smiled, the trembling shakiness of her hands was enough to make mine disappear. "He invited us last minute, he most likely wouldn't notice our presence anyways. I don't see why you try so hard to impress him."

She moved her hand to rub my cheek. "Oh Vincent, you silly boy, as a Phantomhive, we must act as expected with elegance, charm, and manners." She turned away as a violent cough escaped her and quickly pulled out a handkerchief to cough into. She glanced at it, then closed it up, but I still saw the spot of crimson.

"These are desperate times, after all."

I stared at her as I placed my hand atop hers. "Mother, you are not well. You shouldn't travel."

She attempted a laugh, but it soon turned to a violent coughing fit. "No...I'm fine, really."

"Mother..." I placed my hands on her shoulders and whispered into her hair. "Please, stay here. You need rest. I promise I will behave."

She looked back at me, uncertainty clear in her eyes and after a moment, a smile twitched at her lips. "Oh...alright."

I gave another smile. "Tanaka!" I looked back as I caught site of the head butler walking towards us.

"You called, sir?"

"Tanaka, please take my mother to her bed to rest and attend to her every need."

He placed his hand over his heart and bowed his head. "As you wish, my young lord." He turned towards mother. "Madame? If you please."

She started walking, but looked back at me. "Please come back in time for tonight's ball, you can't show up late to your own party."

My party. Yes, I would hate to not attend something as special as that. Its not like I've gotten used to the several balls we throw every week.

"I promise, I will return in time."

With a smile, I watched her disappear with Tanaka, and only then did it drop.

**. . .**

"Well, well, well, Vincent Phantomhive."

The smile returned. "Lord Jeffries."

He let out a belt of laughter as he shook my hand. "Come now, call me George!"

No formalities. That is stage one.

"I say, where is Claudia? You didn't leave her behind, now did you?"

"I'm afraid mother is unwell, she will not be able to join us this morning."

He chuckled and patted my back. "And you were willing to travel alone so she could rest. Ha! Good lad, we need more young men like you around here. Teenagers are more after petty greed of money these days."

Flattery. Already in stage 2, I see.

"Come." He gestured towards the two chairs at a small table where a tea set rested. We both sat and I could immediately tell exactly what his intentions were. He could have pretended to care about mother, at the least.

"Now, I've been hearing an awful lot of rumors about you having a little finance problem?"

My shoulders gave a small shrug. "If you've been hearing it a lot, then it must be true."

"Ha-ha! I knew-- " It was then I caught sight of a maid fastly walking up to the table and picking up the pot of tea. Her hair covered her face as she focused on pouring the tea, but I could still see a hint of red on her cheeks.

Once she finished, she turned to walk away. "Eliza!" His fist banged on the table as she flinched.

"Y-Yes, master?"

"Scones, Eliza, now!" He barked and she jumped before scurrying off. However, she tripped over a patch of grass and as she fell, the pot flew from her hand and its contents, well...over me and my shirt.

Jeffries's eyes widened as he stood from the table. "Lord Phantomhive! Oh my, your clothes!"

I looked down at the maid. "Are you alright?"

She kept her head down as she sat on all fours. "Y-yes, oh Lord Phantomhive, I'm so sorry, i-i didn't mean to-- "

"It's alright." I held out a hand, which she hesitantly took and stood up.

She bowed her head in shame, a few blonde strands standing up from the friction. "I'm so sorry, my lord, please, it was an acci--"

I chuckled. "I said it's alright."

She slowly looked up at me with surprise. And that's when I noticed her red eyes. And, well...they were beautiful.

"Eliza! You useless...!" He slammed his fist on the table and she once again flinched. "Clean this up, now!"

"Yes, master! I am so sorry, master!"

And with that, she fastly walked away from the table.

"Vincent, I apologize for that insufferable maid! What a useless little--"

"You treat your servants all this way?"

He froze up. "What?"

"You yell at them, and by your maid's bodily instincts, it appears you use violence upon them. You are a terrible master." I turned a glare towards him. "Honestly, what kind of man would treat his servants so poorly?"

"U-um, I..."

"No man would. You, Lord Jeffries, are no man in my eyes."

He sneered. "How dare you!"

"So I see no reason to speak with something less of a man, I believe I shall take my leave." I stood up and turned to walk away.

"Wait! Phantomhive!"

Desperation. Stage three.

I stopped. "Please, forgive me. I do hope you can look past this...?"

I sighed. "Only if you remember the manners of a gentleman, shall I then see you as one. It's not a good sign when an 18 year old is more polite and mature than you. Good day, Lord Jeffries."

I heard his voice as I walked back towards the front of his mansion. "Good day, Lord Phantomhive! I'll see you tonight at your ball, eh?"

Oh, right. The ball.

**. . .**

Tanaka's eyes widened once I stepped out of the carriage. "Good lord, your clothes! Are you alright, sir?"

I heavily sighed. "It was only an accident. Don't tell mother."

He chuckled. "Such a troublemaker, you are."

I cracked a smile, but then, it dropped as fast as it came. "How is she?"

His smile faltered. "Not well, i'm afraid. While you were away, the doctor came by to check on her..."

"And?"

Only a frown was present on his face, which only made me nervous.

"What did he say, Tanaka?"

He glanced down at the ground. "It's become critical, sir. He doesn't have an exact time as to when, but...soon. Very soon, sir."

I...I was silent. There was truly no words I could say that would make it better. Mother's been sick for over a year, now, she expected death long ago. So, with a small nod, I walked on inside as he followed.

"How are the plans for tonight coming along? I hope there haven't been any complications."

"Everything has been arranged and the staff are setting up the ballroom as we speak. Also, I have your clothes and mask awaiting on your bed."

Mask? I stopped and looked at him. "A mask? Why would I have a mask? I know we are low on finances, but robbing our guests isn't the way to go, Tanaka."

He smiled. "No, the mask for for the ball. Did lady Phantomhive not tell you? The theme is a masquerade ball, to celebrate the many masks of the noble families, and now, as you turn 18, you will be forced to wear a mask of your own."

I rose an eyebrow. "How very...creative. A unique way of describing England's noblemen."

"Yes, it certainly is. You should hurry and get ready, my lord, the party will start in a few hours."

I forced my smile once again. "Yes, we wouldn't want to keep them waiting, now would we?"

**. . .**

_'Oh Vincent, you silly boy, as a Phantomhive, we must act as expected with elegance, charm, and manners.'_

"Hmph. " 'As a Phantomhive'? As if our name makes us special, as if it means anything, anymore," I muttered mindlessly to myself as I stared down at the mask in my hand. It was a simple black mask with a white beaded design on the side of the right eye. It was very elegant, and charming, and not at all inappropriate. No wonder Tanaka chose it.

My head turned towards the door as the sound of a violins, piano and cellos filled the air. "Well, it sounds like it's starting." I sighed as I brought my face into my mask and looked up at the mirror. "Just another night." Then, I left my room.

**. . .**

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Please give your warmest welcome to the newest man of the hour, the new head of the Phantomhive family, our Lord Vincent, Earl of Phantomhive!"

The sound of their applause echoed throughout the entire manor, and as I stepped down the stairs towards the center, I saw their true faces hidden beneath their masks. A majority of the girls blushed, men whispered into each other's ears, most likely speaking of how easy it would be to handle the new head, and the women were looking at me with eyes of a hunter, and me as a prey suitor for their daughters.

I stopped atop the middle staircase. "Welcome, lovely ladies and fine gentlemen. It is an honor to be praised so highly on a day as this. In return, I offer our fullest Phantomhive hospitality. Please, enjoy yourselves. Eat, drink, dance the night away with an enchanting stranger, and be merry!"

As the audience applauded, I took a bow and walked all the way to the floor of the ballroom, and turned as the less of a man walked towards me while still clapping, a huge smile on his face.

"And here, it shall begin."

Once he came up, he clamped a hand on my shoulder and shook my hand, while I didn't really do any of the shaking. "Wonderful speech, Lord Phantomhive!"

I looked curiously at the very odd orange mask he sported. "Yes, thank you. Please excuse me." I turned to leave, but he stopped me by blocking my way.

"Funny man. You don't think I forgot about your rude outburst earlier, did you? How would everyone here think of you if I were to tell them our new head isn't what he seems?"

Ah, threatening. Our final stage.

"Lord Jeffries, you are not the first man i've dealt with, seeking for fame, money, or even suiting. I have a feeling you won't be the last, either. Your threats mean nothing to me, you shall do what you please with them." I flashed the smile. "Please, enjoy the party." I turned and muttered. "While you still can."

As I moved my foot forward, I felt his hand on my arm. "You are a fool. You think because these people think so high of you, you can get away with anything? It doesn't even matter, you barely have enough to feed yourself, how do you plan on being the head of a family that will soon be forgotten? You take what I give you, and don't talk back."

He smiled and patted my shoulder. "Now, why don't I introduce you to my daughter, eh?" He turned and called a red head that was chatting with a group of men room across the room. She skipped over with a grin.

"Lord Phantomhive, i'd like you to meet--"

As he turned, it was then that he realised I was already gone. He snarled. "Damn teenagers!"

**. . .**

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck as I leaned in one of the hidden corners of the room.

"Sir, p-please, stop!"

My eyes looked forward and I looked around for the source of that voice. I knew that voice.

"Come on, a pretty thing like you, makes me wanna do more than just dance."

"Stop! Please!"

I walked out and caught sight of a man getting grossly close with a girl with curly blonde locks, and a white half of a mask shielding half of her face.

I didn't even know what I was doing before I was behind said man and my voice was harsh, which it has never been before. "I believe the lady said to stop."

"Oh yeah?" He turned around and froze. "L-Lord Phantomhive!"

"Unhand the lady. Now."

He retracted the arm that firmly held her waist and backed away. "O-of course, my apologies." I waited until I saw him disappear into the crowd, before turning to the girl who looked as if she would pass out. "Are you alright?"

She froze once she heard my voice and her head snapped up. That was when i saw her eyes. They were red.

I smiled. "Miss Eliza?"

Her face went pale as she turned and went to make a break for it, but my arm caught her before she could.

"Please, just let me leave. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come here!" Her voice broke.

I smiled as she lifted the mask from her face. "My master doesn't know I'm here. Please, don't tell him."

I continued smiling, but I offered my hand to her. "You look like you could use a little air."

She stared down at it unsurely. But, she ended up taking it and with a nod, we left the room to go to the balcony.

**. . .**

Once we reached the balcony, I shut the doors and let her take a breath.

"I'm sorry."

I chuckled. "You don't need to keep apologizing."

She looked at me in guilt. "I overheard you and my master. I just wanted to apologize for it."

My eyes stayed glued to her face, but then they moved to the sky. "It's alright, Eliza."

I looked back at her and saw tears pricking her eyes. "You shouldn't have to do as he says. He's a cruel man."

Once a year streamed down her cheek, I touched it with my finger and wiped it away. "No, he's not. He's a coward."

She looked at my finger, then moved away and shook her head. "I shouldn't be here. I'm keeping you, I'm sure as the host you must attend to your guests."

Something came over me and I found myself walking closet and grabbing her chin to make her look up at me. "I'd much rather be here with you, than in there. Believe me."

She stared into my eyes with a blush on her cheeks. And...it was like I couldn't control my actions as I glanced at her lips and found Ludwig leaning closer until our lips met.

She tasted so sweet. And I felt her smile widely into the kiss.

A few seconds later, she pulled away and looked down. "Wow..." She breathed out.

I chuckled.

"That was easier than I thought."

She looked back up at me with a grin. My eyes went wide as her red orbs glowed pink and her pupils dilated into slits.

She darkly laughed. "So sorry, Vince." She grabbed me by the collar and pushed me through the railing. As I fell to my death, I saw a strange blackness erupt around her, her teeth turn sharp, her ears pointy, her hair turned black and she removed her gloves, revealing black nails that grew out like claws.

Rapid gasps escaped me, hey sadistic grin was the last image I saw before everything went black.

**. . .**

My eyes shot open. I breathed out as I looked around, and I realized I was floating in the air!

A dark laughter echoed in my ears as I saw an endless rain of black feathers surround me.

"Vincent Phantomhive."

My head twisted toward the voice, until my sight landed on a black cat sitting in a black tree. But, it's eyes—they were red...like that thing!

"What are you?"

It tilted it's head. "Isn't it obvious? I am a servant of hell. I am a demon. You summoned me."

My eyes went wide. "No I didn't!"

It rolled it's eyes. "Well, it did take me a while to find you, but two days ago, as you screamed yourself to sleep, you did."

"What do you want from me?"

"Sorry, that's my question to ask. You summoned me. So, what is it you want?"

It sat down and flicked it's tail. "Greed? Revenge? Money?"

My head snapped up. "Ah...very well. Make a deal with me, Vincent. And I shall give you all that you desire."

I narrowed my eyes. "And what do you want in return?"

"Hehe, smart and handsome. I like you. The answer is simple. Your soul."

My heart stopped. "Especially one as desperate as yours, it truly makes you even more delicious."

"Do you plan on feasting on me?"

"No. I'm saving you for something else."

I looked down. Was I really that desperate? Could I be willing to throw away my soul? I looked back up at the cat. "Alright. I'll do it. I want you to make the  Phantomhive family rich and known throughout England. I want the queen to remember us and use us as she once did. I want to make sure that my family shall never suffer like my mother ever again! And you will have my soul the minute I die."

The cat's tail froze as its eyes bored into mine. "Now, you must choose carefully. Should you reject the faith even this once, the gates of paradise will forever be out of your reach."

"If I were one of them, I wouldn't be agreeing to this, would I?"

A laugh rang out. "I will ask once more. Do you wish to form a contract with me?"

My eyes narrowed. "I do! Do we have a deal?"

The black feathers all lifted up and swirled around. Through them, I saw a shape of a woman. The feathers disappeared. I looked around, and I was back at our manor. But, as I looked in front of me, there stood a woman with long in a maid's uniform with black hair, and those red eyes.

"You have agreed to a contract. Now, what shall my name be?" She smiled.

"Your name?"

"Yes. Pick wisely, know the moment you mutter my new name, I will be reborn as yours and yours alone."

I looked her up and down and said the first name I thought of. "Isabella."

Her smile widened. "Interesting, Isabella. From now until your death, I will be Isabella."

"Brieris. Isabella Brieris."

"Good." Her smile dropped. "Where would you like it?"

"What?"

"Our contract mark. The more visible it is, the more powerful and stronger our bond will be. Where would you like it?"

"Um..." I looked at my hands, to my neck. My eye? No, too obvious and irritating. I rubbed the back of my neck as I thought. Wait, that's it. "My neck."

"Very well," Her voice whispered from behind me, and I didn't even notice she had moved. I felt a first pain on the center of my neck.

"Sleep now, master I will see you when you wake...my lord."

 


	26. His Maid, Freeloader: 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear, with our head butler on an order, things have become far more stressful. His Royal Highness is very persistant in stealing away my master's time.

Ciel's soft snores filled his room as he peacefully slept. Perhaps those he dreams of were an escape from the nightmares of his past. One could  only wonder what sweet nightmares lie within the mind of Ciel Phantomhive.

"It's time to wake up, Lord Phantomhive."

Ciel rubbed his eyes and squinted them open. "What's that? Who's there?" He jumped when Ayani clapped her hands with a smile and got close to him.

"Namaste Chi, good morning."

He stood up on his bed and looked down at her with a glare. "W-why are you in my room?!"

He gasped when he felt a hand grab his arm and pull him down to where he found himself in Prince Soma's arms. "We are going out and about. Show us around town, kid."

Ciel scowled. "Why should I do that?! And don't call me kid! I have a real name, it's Ciel!"

He smiled. "Alright, Ciel." He jumped on the bed and towards the door. "I order you to show me around. Come."

He stopped when you appeared in the doorway and blocked him. "Pardon me, Prince." You smiled. "I am terribly sorry, my master's day is full. I am afraid their is a great deal of work and studying he must attend to." You pulled out your pocket watch and quickly checked the time. "And considering our head butler is out on an aron for most of the day, I am forced to do twice the work single handedly."

You looked back up at him. "I do hope you understand, Prince Soma."

**. . .**

Ciel looked up from his sheet music stand as you entered the room. He rose an eyebrow at the long brown skirt that went to the floor, white blouse, green petticoat, red ascot and brown penny loafers you sported. Including your hair that was up in a high ponytail and held back by a red ribbon.

"Why are you dressed like that?"

You tapped his stand and placed a page of sheet music on it. "You will need a tutor while we're here in London. And since Sebastian is temporarily absent, I shall fill that role."

He looked up at you and you tilted your head. "Do you not like my appearance, sir? Would you prefer I change my attire to my uniform?"

"No, it's fine." He looked at your hair. "Your hair is up. That is what I prefer. Have it up instead of down from now on."

You smirked and used your conductor's wand to adjust your glasses. "Of course, if you'd like."

He looked down at the sheet music. "Bach Chaconne in D minor? There's no way I could play something this complex."

You put your wand under his chin and raised it so he would look at you. "I am your tutor, I make the rules. Surely, you have no objections to my teaching methods, do you master? I would simply hate to have to punish you if you were to defy me."

His face went red and he quickly looked back down at the music. This action of his made you smirk. "I am glad you are willing to comply. That will make this much faster." You removed your wand from his chin and rested it in your other hand as he raised his violin to his chin and used his bow to start off on the first notes.

You smiled at the flawless music that filled the room. "Well done. Very nice, my lord." Your smile stayed on your face as you closed your eyes and listened to the music.

Ciel looked over and stopped his playing hen he caught sight of his new 'guests' kneeling and bowing in front of a large statue resembling a large woman sticking her tongue out and holding the severed head of a man. Lau was also there, standing beside them.

You sighed as Ciel put down his violin and walked over to them, also following after him. "What are they doing?"

Lau smiled and looked at the statue. "If I had to guess, i'd say they're praying. Quite an odd idol, though, isn't it?"

You walked up and stared up at it. "It seems to me like the statue of a woman, appearing to be carrying a severed head. She seems to be wearing a necklace of severed heads as well, dancing on a dead man's stomach." You tilted your head. "Hmm, although it does capture the spirit of a scorned woman."

Ayani stopped her bowing to stare back at the three of you. "It depicts one of the sacred idols of Hinduism. She is the goddess, Kali."

Ciel furrowed his brows. "A goddess of India?"

"Kali is the wife of Shiva, she is also the goddess of power." She held up a painting of Kali and what appeared to be a man preparing to fight her. "Here she is again. According to our faith, a demon once foolishly challenged her."

She dropped the photo and showed another of Kali, though she now looked more like a crazed psychopath as she held up said demon's severed head. "Naturally, she was victorious. However, her destructive urges were not quelled. She gave herself to destruction and carnage."

Ayani dropped the last photo and stared at the both of you with fixated blue eyes. "And then, in order to protect the earth--"

She pointed at the man the statue was standing on. "Her husband, Shiva, threw himself at his wife's feet."

Ciel rose an eyebrow while yours furrowed. "That seems a little rash, doesn't it?"

She looked straight at you. "Treading upon her husband brought Kali back to her senses. And peace was again restored to the world."

She turned back towards the statue, clapped her hands together, and closed her eyes. "The statue shows her story, the godess Kali walking on her husband, and in her hand, the head of the vile demon that she slaughtered."

Ciel looked briefly back at you. "And there you have it."

You hummed and rubbed your chin. "Hmm. I've never heard of a goddess of such power. I shall have to keep that in mind if I ever go back to India."

His eyes narrowed. "Back?"

You both looked at Soma as he stood up. "Alright, then."

He turned around to look at Ciel with a smile. "We are done praying now." He suddenly grabbed Ciel in a head lock and walked towards the door. "Time to go."

Ciel struggled to get out of his grasp. "I'm too busy to go out! I already told you that!"

You sighed as you followed after them. "Something tells me this will be more difficult than I thought."

**. . .**

Soma sighed as he rested his chin in his hand and gazed up at you and Ciel as your swords clashed together. "Honestly, when are you going to be done with all this? Yawn. What are you even doing, anyway? You look like an idiot."

"Be quiet! You're distracting!"

You smirked as your feet shuffled forward, and you jabbed at him, but his sword blocked you at the last second.

"Are all the English this short tempered?"

Ciel snarled as he put down his sword. "Time," He sighed, before he looked back at Soma. "You're never going to shut up, are you? If you need attention so badly, why not give fencing a try?" He tossed his sword towards Soma, who stood up and caught it with a sly smile.

"A-ha, then, if I win you will go out on the town with me?"

Ciel looked at you. "Isabella." You tossed him your sword. He caught it and pointed it at Soma. "If you can beat me."

"Good luck, my prince." Ayani smiled at him as she poured a cup of tea.

As they got in position, you walked in between them and raised your hand. "Now, let the fight begin!"

Once the words left your mouth, Soma raced forward while Ciel stayed in his place. He grinned and jabbed his sword towards Ciel's leg, but it was then he realized it bended around it. His eyes widened. "Hey, what the...!"

Ciel smirked. "A strike like that will accomplish nothing for you."

Fear filled his eyes as he struggled to block Ciel. "Wait, this isn't fair! I don't know the rules like you do!"

He smiled. "Hey, a fight is a fight. It's not my fault you don't know." He ran forward, but as his sword neared Soma's stomach...

"Your highness, look out!" Ayani moved in front of him, blocked Ciel's sword with her tea cup and jabbed her fingers into a pressure point in Ciel's arm. Ciel's sword fell to the ground as he fell to his knees.

Ayani's eyes widened. She knelt down to him. "Ah! Sir, I am sorry. When I saw the prince get attacked, my senses took over. Forgive me."

Soma let out a laugh. "You protected your master well, Ayani. So, that is it, kid. Ayani is my servant, an extension of myself." He put his hands on his hips. "Which means this fight goes to me."

Ciel's teeth clenched. "Wait! That's not fair!"

Lau stood up from where he had been sitting and picked up Ciel's sword. "Interesting. Isabella, it looks as if you'll have to avenge your master." He threw it towards you. "Here you go."

You caught it in your right hand as you pulled out your pocket watch with your left. "Goodness. It's already 4 o'clock. Master, if you wish to provoke your guest, do refrain from doing so at a late hour."

Ciel snickered and crossed his arms.

"However..." You closed your pocket watch and tucked it away, before swinging down your sword. "As the Phantomhive maid, I cannot stand idly by as someone harms my master." You walked closer to them. "We are already a full 10 minutes behind schedule now." 

Ciel frowned. "The time. That's what you care about."

Soma looked at you with a raised eyebrow. "I am curious about you, amah. Very well, I will allow you to duel." He looked down at Ayani. "Fight her. And in the name of Kali, make sure you do not loose." He offered his sword to her, which she took as she stood up.

Ciel stood up with determination. "Isabella, I order you: Shut the brat's mouth, now!"

You smirked and nodded as you got in fighting position. Soma stood close by to Ayani as she also got into position and you both stared at each other.

"Jo ãjñã."

"As you wish, young master."

**. . .**

Your swords collided with each other. The sound of metal against metal cut through the air as the seemingly endless battle progressed between the two pros. As one attempted to jab the other, they would simply block and move their footwork.

Your eyes locked on each other's as you both raced forward, both with the same goal of jabbing the other. But as your swords pointed ends neared your eyes, both of your instincts forced your heads to fly back, dodging one another's sword.

A small gasp escaped the audience of three as they watched.

You both jumped back from the end of your swords and onced again raced forward. Your eyes looked to the angle her sword was pointed, and as you did a small jump, the tips of your swords collided. However, you were both very determined, and as you moved your foot forward and she applied more pressure...

***snap***

Their eyes widened as metal pieces flew threw the air. You caught one of them and looked at it. "My, how lovely. It seems as though the swords have broken."

"That means it's a draw, isn't it?" Lau spoke.

Soma gave an impressed smile. "That servant of yours is indeed impressive, Ciel."

Ciel had a blank stare. _'How is it a draw? He was fighting Isabella!'_

"Ayani is by far, the best fighter in my palace. I have never seen anyone who could keep up with her, before." Soma proudly smiled as Ciel walked over to you.

_'She was a match for a demon.'_

He waited for Ayani to walk away, before you knelt down to hear him whisper to you. "What happened? Ayani isn't an ordinary human, is she?" His face fell at the thought of a certain red reaper. "Don't tell me she's another..."

_'Deadly efficient butler!'_

"No, my lord. She is deadly, but she is human enough."

He looked at her as she spoke with Soma. "But, with as much strength as she has..."

"Indeed. She could effortlessly hang  a man upside down." You watched her. "It would be an easy task."

"Especially someone of her background."

Ciel jumped as you looked beside you to see Sebastian, also kneeling down and very close to your face with a smile.

"Sebastian!" Ciel's eyes narrowed. "When did you get here?"

"Right before your little duel with the bratty prince, my lord."

"You mean to tell me you've been here this whole time?! Why didn't you make yourself known?"

His smile widened as his eyes shifted to you. "Truthfully, sir, I was enjoying the show."

You rose your eyebrows as Ciel rolled his eyes. "Whatever, now what did you find out?"

He put a finger to his lips. "Not now, in the presence of our guests."

Ciel huffed. "Fine." You and Sebastian stood up. "Isabella, let us finish our lessons. Sebastian...get dinner started, and check on those servants while you're at it."

He walked towards the door as you followed.

**. . .**

You finished tying your high ponytail and pulled it tight as you walked down the hallway. Sebastian had informed you that Ayani had insisted on helping prepare for tonight's meal and he had left her to her work some time ago. He was busy setting up for tonight, so here you were, your long bangs tickling your face as you tied an apron around your waist and walked into the kitchen.

"How is it coming along, Ayani?"

As you stopped in the doorway, you looked around for her, only to freeze once you saw Bard peeling carrots, Finny mashing potatoes, and Mey-Rin carefully placing the silver and dishware for the evening.

Ayani smiled as she stirred the contents of her pot. "Wonderful. With everyone's help, I'm sure it will be delicious."

Your eyes were wide as you held a genuine surprised look on your face. Which was a face you never really expressed before.

**. . .**

You brought down your butcher's knife as you sliced the fish meat on your chopping board and Ayani stood beside you, rolling out a piece of dough. You glanced up at the servants as they quietly worked, still trying to process the fact they hadn't wrecked anything.

"How did you manage to get this lot to help out? Simply incredible."

She smiled to herself. "Everybody is born with his or her own talent. We all have our own paths and duties set out by the gods." She looked at you. "As children of the divine mother, we may only listen and perform our tasks."

You looked at her as she continued rolling the dough. "You seem to be a woman of impeccable character, Ayani."

She kept her eyes on the dough. "Not at all." She stopped rolling. "I am but a student of the gods, indeed. I was a hopeless fool before I met the prince." She looked up at nothing. "I owe Prince Soma more than I could ever hope to repay him."

_Flashback..._

"I hurt many people. Blasphemed against the gods. Committed crime after crime. And then, the day of my judgement finally came."

_Her head was casted down as she walked up the steps towards the noose that awaited it's next victim. Her white hair covered her face as all she wore was a long white skirt and binder around her chest and waist. Once she stepped next to it, the rope was placed under her chin, around her neck, and tightened._

"I was alone and adrift in the world."

_The crowd parted as a figure walked through it and stopped to gaze up at the accused woman. "You there! They say you are a woman with the strength of a beast! I am intrigued." The man jumped up onto the stage and walked towards the accused._

_He unsheathed his sword and in one slice, cut the rope and her long hair. Her eyes went wide as her hair fell, now it ended at the top of her breasts. He stepped in front of her and outstretched his arms. "The woman you are is dead now. You will be reborn with a new name and a new life!"_

"I had abandoned the gods of my homeland. I had forsaken everything."

_He rested his sword over his shoulder and turned around to look at her. "Now, you are Ayani."_

"He seemed a god to me."

Her eyes were wide as she retold her past. "That day, I saw in him, something divine. To my sinner soul, his radiance was transcendent!" Her teeth clenched.

"Careful, your pot's boiling over." You said in a bored tone as you walked behind her over to the pot.

She moved her head back as you opened the lid an stirred the liquid in the pot. "The Prince Soma is my sovereign and my god." She looked at you. "He took pity on me and gave me new life, so I will protect him with mine. I will do anything I can for my prince. My desire is that all his dreams come true."

You hummed and puckered your lips as you focused on stirring. "Well, if you ask me, the gods are a bunch of good for nothings we should leave behind...." You muttered.

She turned towards you. "Sorry, what was that?"

You looked at her over your shoulder and smirked. "Oh, it was nothing."

**. . .**

Sebastian walked around the dining table, picking up the finished plates of Ciel, Lau, and Soma as you placed the second course in front of them.

Ciel was frowning at Soma, who sat across from him as you did. "How long do you intend to stay here."

"We will leave when our business is done."

Lau looked at him. "That's right. You said you were searching for someone?"

Ciel looked at Lau as he picked up his knife and fork. "And you--how long are you intending to stay?"

Lau only smiled. "Now, my lord, play nice."

"I am searching for a woman." Soma pulled out the same cartoonish Indian woman drawing you saw before. "This is her."

You cracked an amused smile as he showed it to the table. "Her name is Mina. She was a servant in my palace."

Ciel leaned his head in his hand as he looked at Sebastian. "Well, Sebastian? Do you think you can find her?"

Sebastian leaned over and looked at the drawing. "Even I can't do much with that. But, I'll try."

"So, what is this "Mina" doing here?" Ciel inquired.

"I have known Mina my entire life. She was basically my nurse maid, like your servant, Isabella." He turned the picture around and looked at it. "She was the only person who ever really took care of me. My mother and father barely paid attention to me. It was a lonely life...but I had Mina. She was always there for me. Then, a British nobleman who had his eyes on her, kidnapped her and took her back to England with him."

"In other words, you are here to bring this woman back to India with you?"

"Yes. I will do everything to bring her back."

You looked down once you noticed Ciel had stopped eating and was staring down at his lap. He looked up at you and noticed you were looking, then went back to cutting his food. "Seems like a lot of fuss over a servant."

Soma stood up from his seat. "No, it isn't!" He stormed around to the other side of the table, grabbed Ciel by the shoulders and pulled him out of his seat. "You can't comprehend my despair of being separated from her! You do not understand!"

Ciel looked at you, and you saw something present in his eyes; an emotion you haven't seen since the night of your master's death, then he looked at Soma. "Yes, I do."

Soma's face fell as Ciel's turned emotionless. "Although, not despair, the loneliness of isolation is something I may know well." He slapped Soma's hands away and pushed him out of his way. "Don't make the mistake that you are the only one here who has lost something. It doesn't matter who you are, your pride makes you believe something like that gives you great despair, than I don't understand it, and I don't care to."

He walked to the door and twisted the knob. "There are some things you can never get back, no matter how hard you struggle." He opened the door, but stopped before walking out. "Perhaps you are too young to understand that, Prince Soma."

Soma looked down as Ciel walked in and closed the door. " 'Too young'? I am old enough to know what I want, and I do not want to be alone anymore."

Ciel kept his head down as his back was against the door.

_Flashback..._

_"Isabella." He whispered._

_"Hello, Ciel." You whispered as you rubbed his head._

_A devilish grin then came on your face. "Not if I was human, which I am not. I an a demon, Ciel."_

His fists curled up into balls. 'Never. No matter how hard you struggle.'

**. . .**

Soma looked up from the chair he was sitting in as Ciel tossed a deck of cards on the table and sat down. "Good evening, Prince."

He picked up the box and sat back. "Even you should know how to play Old Maid." He slid the cards out and shuffled them. "I have finished all of my work for today, we can play cards until I retire."

Soma rose an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Don't think of it as I am here for your sake. I am bored and I have nothing better to do." He began to place down Soma's cards, until Soma stopped him by holding up his hand.

"Very sorry, I already have plans."

Ciel's jaw fell open as he froze. Soma shrugged his shoulders. "Unlike you, I am a busy man." He stood up. "Come, Ayani. We are going out." Ciel stayed frozen as they left the room.

Soma let out a laugh and looked back at him. "If you don't get proper sleep, you will never grow up, kid. Good night." Ayani bowed her head as she shut the door.

Seconds later, the door opened back up and Lau poked his head in. "Ah, there you are, my lord. I was wondering, may I ask..."

Ciel looked back at him with a vein popping out of his forehead. "What?!" The cards in his grip scrunched up.

**. . .**

You smiled as you refilled Ciel's tea cup while he and Lau played their game of cards. Ciel looked back at the sound of a door shutting. "So, they're back."

"I have to say, those two seem very suspicious to me." Lau said.

"Yes, they are odd, but I don't see how a recent string of crimes could benefit them. They don't seem to have a grudge over England's colonial rule." He sighed. "Anyway, if they were involved, why would they cross my path without a second thought? That's just begging me to suspect them."

Lau hummed. "Good point, my lord. Maybe they are just looking for someone."

Ciel threw down his cards. "It's too soon to tell. We don't know that for sure." He looked at you as you filled up Lau's cup. "Isabella." You looked up at him as you stopped pouring. "Where is Sebastian?"

You glanced up at the roof. "Oh, he's around here somewhere."

**. . .**

Sebastian gazed down at the cloaked figure that emerged from the vocational manor, and treaded in the snow through the gates. He smirked. "I was waiting for you to make your move."


	27. His Maid, Supremely Talented: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The true face of Ayani that no one knows. No matter what reasons she may have, hiding things from her master makes her a terrible maid.   
> I am not hiding anything behind a second face. If you like, you can peel it off and see. Here we go...
> 
> Next time on Black Maid, "His Maid, Supremely Talented"
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

"Young master."  
  
You all turned towards the window, where Sebastian's upside down figure was hanging from the roof. "He has made his move."  
  
"Good." Ciel stood up and looked at him. "Let's follow him."  
  
"Take me with you."  
  
Your eyes moved to the door, where Soma stood. Ciel looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You? Why?"  
  
"I know that Ayani has been sneaking out after I fall asleep." He looked down at the ground. "I want to know what she has been up to." He looked back at Ciel. "That is my right."  
  
Ciel narrowed his eyes as you leaned over to whisper with your face beside his. "Perhaps it would be best for him to follow as well. It would be wise, he is a prince of royalty, after all."  
  
His eyes looked at you, then at Soma with a sigh.  
  
 **. . .**  
  
Soma stared at the large estate you had all followed Ayani to with awe. "A nice place. Who lives here?"  
  
You watched the front gates creak and swing open as Ayani walked inside. "This estate belongs to Harold West Jeb. He imports a wide range of goods from India."  
  
You tuned Ciel out as you watched Ayani, unintentionally pressing closer into the brick wall corner...and closer to the person next to you.  
  
Out of the corner of your eye, you saw his grip on the wall tighten and it was then that you noticed what part of him you were pressing into. A small smirk curved at your lips as your eyes traveled up to look at his...and they had darkened over. You saw this because he was staring directly at you.  
  
"My, it seems you two have a lot of arousing frustration to release." You froze as you looked back at Lau, who was smiling, with a glare.  
  
You moved away and focused back on the estate, only to see Ayani had already went inside.  Your eyes moved to Soma. "People at one of his businesses have been found trust up and hung upside down. Mr. West happened to be away, however, fortunately for him, he managed to escape unharmed."  
  
You all moved away and out of sight. Soma rubbed his chin while Lau smiled. "My, isn't he lucky."  
  
Ciel looked up at you. "Shall we have a look, then?"  
  
You smiled. "Certainly." You and Sebastian wrapped an arm around him, then bent your legs and jumped up into the air.  
  
 **. . .**  
  
You peered around another corner inside the estate, and as Soma went to walk in, you held out your arm. The sound of footsteps thumped above you, until they faded away. You put down your arm and you all tiptoed across to the opposite wall, and cracked the door open to peer through the small sliver of a room.  
  
A room Ayani was in, sitting stiffly on a couch, appearing to be frozen.  
  
"Why don't you relax with a nice scotch?" A man, Harold West, came into view as he walked up behind the couch. "An excellent one from Justerini and brooks. They hold the royal warrant, you know." He offered the glass of scotch to her, but she didn't move.  
  
He retracted his hand and walked around the couch. "Our plan is working so far. You've done well for me, Ayani." He stopped in front of her and smirked. "I think we've done all we need to, stringing anyone else up won't be necessary." He threw down a newspaper beside her, the headline showing the hanging bodies.  
  
He leaned closer to her and grabbed her bandaged arm in his hand. "With this blessed hand of yours, the royal warrant may as well be in my pocket."  
  
Ciel's brows furrowed. "A royal warrant? That's what this is?"  
  
He smirked and used his other hand to grab her chin. At first, roughly, but then, he caressed her cheek. "Oh, how lucky I am to have you, Ayani."  
  
She finally looked at him, her eyes shaking. "If I carry out the plan as promised...then Mina--"  
  
Soma's eyes widened, and before anyone could stop him, he slammed the door open. "Where is Mina?!"  
  
They looked back at him with wide eyes. "What the...!?"  
  
Ayani stood up with a mixture of surprise and embarrassment. "My prince!"  
  
Ciel stepped forward with intention to yell after him, but you quickly clamped his mouth shut and pulled him back in before he could. You leaned down to whisper in his ear. "West is almost certain to recognize us, my lord. We must stay back."  
  
In anger, Soma grabbed Ayani by her arms and narrowed his eyes. "What is this?! You have known where Mina was all along, Ayani?!" She stared at him with glazed eyes, but didn't speak.  
  
West put a hand on his hip and smiled. "I see. This intrusive young man is your master."  
  
Soma looked at him with a sneer. "And you are the man who took Mina away." He let go of Ayani and pointed at him. "Get him! Do you hear me?"  
  
She clenched her teeth and looked down, almost struggling to speak, which made Soma scoff. "What are you waiting for?!"  
  
Ciel sighed and moved your hand to turn around and face the three of you. "Let's grab that idiot prince and get out of here, right now."  
  
Lau tilted his head. "But West will recognize you as soon as you walk in."  
  
You looked back and spotted a deer head mounted on the wall and smirked. Sebastian followed your line of sight and also smirked, then looked back at them. "We'll take care of it."  
  
Lau hummed. "But there is only one deer head. So, who will wear it?"  
  
You folded your hands over your stomach and fluttered your lashes at Sebastian. "Well, the gentlemen act would be to volunteer himself, would it not?"  
  
He chuckled. "And you say you're not a lady."  
  
Lau smiled bigger. "Oh, and when did you say that Isabella?"  
  
Sebastian smirked as he snatched the deer head off the wall. "The details aren't important, but it was a time when the lady was wet and her clothes were in another room."  
  
You growled at him.   
  
West smirked at Ayani. "Well, Ayani? Are you going to take care of this brat for me?"  
  
Soma looked at him. " 'This brat'?!"  
  
Ayani's hand began to shake as she shut her eyes and clenched her teeth. Soma's eyes widened while a grin spread on West.  
  
Her entire body shook, until her eyes opened, and with a yell, she raised her hand to strike down on Soma.  
  
Soma watched with frozen shock. "Ayani...?" But right before she could, she was stopped by Sebastian, who was...wearing a...deer head.  
  
The three of them froze in awkward shock. "Deer...?"  
  
You couldn't help the small laugh that escaped you.  
  
West jumped back in fear and frantically pointed at him. "A deer man?! What's going on here?!"  
  
Sebastian stood up and looked directly at West, but it was slightly creepy since it was a deer that was staring at him. "Yes, thank you for stating the obvious. I am a deer." His voice was a little muffled, but you could still understand it. He put a hand over his heart and bowed his head. "I have come for the prince."  
  
West's eyes widened. "He's a foreign spy!" He looked at Ayani. "Get him!"  
  
Sebastian looked up and held up his hand. "No! I am simply one hell of a deer."  
  
"Kill him! Do something or our agreement is over!"  
  
That made Ayani's eyes widen. "Now!"   
  
Her fist clenched and she fell to her knees as blood streamed from her eyes. "Since I was reborn, I have only had one god and master. I vowed that I'd never swing my fist for anyone but him. I am guilty of betraying that vow." Her eyes shot open to look at Soma. "Please forgive me!"  
  
"Don't do it, Ayani!" Soma warned as Sebastian pulled his gloves tighter.  
  
She grabbed the end of her bandage and ripped it off. She screamed as her being glowed purple and her eyes turned white. She lunged forward and threw her fist down where Soma stood, but Sebastian grabbed him, threw him over his shoulder and jumped back, her fist instead smashed into the floor.  
  
She swung again, but he dodged her, making her once again collide with the floor. West screamed as she destroyed the room. "The crystal! Do you know how much that is worth?!"  
  
You picked up Ciel bridal style and smiled at him. "I believe now is the time to leave, young master."  
  
Lau glanced in the room. "My, it sounds like trouble in there."  
  
Ciel wrapped his arms around your neck and looked back in the room at Sebastian. "Hey! We're drawing too much attention! Grab the kid and get out of here, Sebastian!" After he said his order, you looked to see Lau was already gone, then with a sigh, ran forward and jumped out the window.  
  
Sebastian landed on one knee with Soma still over his shoulder and looked back. "Yes, sir." He jumped as Ayani came down again, then ran towards one of the windows, proceeding to jump through it.  
  
 **. . .**  
  
"With that kind of punch, this girl is no ordinary human being." Lau spoke after sipping his tea.  
  
Soma placed his head in his hand. "It is a mental technique she uses called 'Samadhi'. When she gets like that, no one can touch her."  
  
Ciel crossed his legs. "Never heard of it."  
  
"I imagine it's some type of trance. Ayani has absolute faith in her master. Consequently, from that faith, she is able to produce a superhuman power." Sebastian looked at Soma and placed his hand on his heart. "Her skills are born from something we can never understand. From complete trust and love in another person."  
  
You glanced down once you felt Ciel's eyes on you, but once you caught him, he looked down.  
  
"But this betrayal. Why would she do it?" Soma slammed his fists on the table. "Why do the people close to me always leave?!" What happened next made your eyes widen. He used his arm to push the entire tea set off the table and it shattered upon hitting the floor.  
  
Ciel's jaw dropped. "Prince Soma!"  
  
Soma stood up, shaking with tears. "All of them...but why?" He muttered to himself, before running out of the room.  
  
Ciel also stood up, but didn't say anything as he left the room. Sebastian sighed as he stared at the broken set. "Oh, just look at the javelin tea set I ordered. It so well suited to my master."   
  
You ignored Sebastian and walked off after Ciel. He was storming down the hallway, but you didn't know why it was he who was upset. "Master!"  
  
He froze for a second, but kept walking until he reached his door. "What?"  
  
You stopped and tilted your head. "I know you're troubled about something, but I'm sure it's not Sebastian's tea set. Is everything alright?"  
  
He kept his head sown and scoffed to himself. "As if you would even care."  
  
Though he spoke quietly, you heard him clearly and rose an eyebrow. "Of course I would, I have the greatest concern held for you, master."  
  
His fists clenched. "Don't you dare lie to me. You are only a demon, you--"  
  
"Demon or not, I care for your well being, that includes if something is bothering you, it is my job to rid of it."  
  
He peered at you over his shoulder. "You can't rid of this."  
  
You chuckled. "Well, not if you don't tell me what it is that's has you so distressed."  
  
"You."  
  
Your smile dropped as he turned around. but kept his head down. "Ever since that day, it's always been you--you are the only thing left to leave me in despair. Two years...two years you were gone and now, you're back! You just had to come back!"  
  
His voice shook, but he finally rose his head. "To hate something you used to love is such a painful feeling. Especially if you loose it and it comes back."  
  
A frown formed on your face, and there was a long moment of silence, until you asked a question that should've been asked since you returned. "Do you hate me, Ciel?"  
  
He looked to the side. "I'm trying to, but it's more difficult than I thought."  
  
"Why do you wish to hate me?"  
  
His lips twisted into a sneer. "Because of what you are. Because any ounce of emotion I felt for you was a lie! And that's all you are..." He said it more as if he were to convince himself.  
  
He looked back, and nearly jumped once he saw you were now standing right in front of him. You knelt down to his level to stare at him. "A demon is what I am, yes. But know this. Unlike every demon, I do not crave or hunger for your soul. My master wished for me to protect you, but he did not order me to stay by your side."  
  
You stood up and smiled. "You have no idea how much I risk being here. Every day I deepen the whole of my grave just by being here."  
  
He looked down. "I'm sorry...for my action the other night."  
  
You tilted your head. "What action would that be, my lord?"  
  
He glanced up at your cheek and his hand clenched. You smiled. "It was only a minor slap, truly it was nothing."  
  
"You're wrong! You're wrong!"  
  
You both looked towards a room down the hall. "Well, it looks as if Sebastian has taken matters into his own hands."   
  
You both walked down to Soma's room and Ciel opened the door, seeing Sebastian tower over Soma who was crying on the floor. "It's time to face facts. Nobody ever loved you."  
  
Ciel leaned in the doorway. "That's enough of that."  
  
Sebastian turned around. "Master..." He looked up at you as you stood behind him. "Isabella."  
  
Ciel shrugged. "Who knows, I easily could've ended up the same way as him. If it hadn't been for that month..."  
  
Soma stood up and looked at him. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"My family. They were killed and my home was burned down. I was treated worse than any animal. I was hopeless. Just a child." His fist clenched. "But I came back. To make the people who did that to me suffer the same humiliation. And I will find them. My parents were killed for a reason, if I remain the family head and make myself a nuisance to the people who hurt them, they'll target me. That's what I'm waiting for, someday they'll come to take my life as well."  
  
Soma looked at him as if he were crazy. "But why? Why do it?"  
  
He looked down. "Because the alternative is grief. If I stand still, I might as well be dead with them. But I am alive and still standing." He looked back up at him. "Moving on my own two feet. I am going to die someday and I'd rather do it without regrets. I'm not going to pretend that I'm doing anything noble. This is no grant revenge, it's just a game. I'm waiting to see who wins."  
  
You tilted your head as a smile pulled at your lips. _Hmm, a game, eh? Hmph, like father like son._  
  
"How far I fall, as long as there is so much as a thread left, I use it to climb." He opened his hand as if reaching out for an invisible thread. "I'll take hold of it. I refuse to give up. I am still human, I can do that much."  
  
Soma stared at him with a sense of surprise.  
  
Ciel crossed his arms. "But every person must decide on their own whether they'll grab it." He glanced at you. "Enough of this idle talk, we must get back to work." You nodded and he looked at Sebastian. "Sebastian, we need to talk about West now." He turned and you both walked out of the room. "Come."   
  
Sebastian walked after the both of you. "Yes."  
  
You didn't make it far, until... "Ciel!" You all turned back and saw Soma run out after you and stop. "I am seventeen, but you're right. I am still only a child. I am nothing more than a spoiled brat!" He sighed and put a hand to his head. "I knew there was something bothering Ayani, but I didn't bother to ask, did I? Now, I want to know. I want to see them in person and ask why they left me!"  
  
His eyes widened as he reached out to Ciel. "I'm begging you! Let me come!"  
  
Ciel held up his hand. "Don't think so." Soma's face fell as Ciel put down his hand.   
  
"You're a naïve idiot, I don't want to chaperone you." He turned to resume his walk, but stopped. "Of course, I'm not gonna go through the trouble of locking you in here." And with that, you all walked back to the room Lau was in, leaving a perplexed Soma.  
  
That was, until Soma tackled Ciel into a hug from behind. "Thank you!"  
  
Ciel's eyes widened. "Get off!"  
  
He let go of him and clamped his hands together as Ciel turned around with a glare. "I am sorry I lost my temper earlier and destroyed your tea set. Please, forgive me." He looked behind him, and once he saw Sebastian standing behind him, he jumped behind Ciel. "Oh yeah, and you too. I am very sorry."  
  
He smirked and put a finger under his chin. "It's alright."  
  
You chuckled, making them look at you as you smirked and put your hand on your hip. "We should have you more often, prince. I find you very entertaining."  
 **  
. . .**  
  
Ciel rested his chin in his hand. "I didn't realize West was after the royal warrant. Though, giving his obsession with status, it does make sense."  
  
Soma put his hands in his lap as Sebastian walked over to him with a cup of tea. "I was wondering, what exactly is a royal warrant?" He jumped away from him once he placed the cup down.  
  
"It's an endorsement bestowed by the royal family upon their favorite vendors. Royal warrant holders are official conveyers to the crown." Lau informed.  
  
You smiled as Sebastian gave Ciel his tea. "Yes, indeed. And in one week, a curry exhibition will be held as one of the festivities at the crystal palace. I expect it shall be quite the event."  
  
"Curry?" Soma looked up.  
  
Lau looked at you. "I wonder, how did you obtain that knowledge, Isabella?"  
  
You smiled and looked down. "When under the command of her majesty, I was given many duties, including royal event planner. I know of every event held by the royal family."  
  
Ciel scoffed. "Well, you could've mentioned that earlier."  
  
You glanced at him. "Once more, her majesty has a unique love for curry. She may be in attendance, that day."  
  
He lightly shook his head. "Nothing more than a rumor. Ever since her husband, prince Albert, passed away, her majesty consents to rarely make any public appearances."  
  
You hummed. "Well, we shall find out soon, won't we?"  
  
A smirk formed on his lips. "Are you betting with your master, Isabella?" When he didn't hear you deny it, his smirk widened. "Very well, we'll discuss the details of our bet later."  
  
Soma leaned forward. "What do the curry exhibition and the recent string of crimes have to do with each other?"  
  
Ciel leaned his cheek on his fist. "The connection is the curry, it's a specialty at West's coffee house. If he obtains a royal warrant for his curry, his sales are sure to increase dramatically. My guess is he was using Ayani to target specific men. They were probably his rivals for the curry exhibition."  
  
"When she hanged the men, she included notes that were insulting to the English. That was made out as the attacks were by a bitter Indian. Likely, Mina was bait. She was probably the only reason Ayani got involved." He looked at Sebastian, who held out a file he had taken, which Ciel took and pulled out the note  Arthur read. "I'm guessing she did it all for you."  
  
Soma gave a look of surprise as Ciel pushed the note over to him. "You worship Kali, a goddess who is depicted with her tongue sticking out. Ayani worships you as her god, along with Kali."  
  
He leaned back as Soma looked closely at the letter. "The connection is obvious, she clearly signed those letters as a way of apologizing to you."  
  
Sebastian looked at Soma. "She may have left, but everything she does is for you, no one else. Ayani lives only for you."  
  
You smiled. "She is a fine maid, indeed."  
  
Soma stared at the symbol. "Ayani...all this time...it was you..."  
  
Lau smiled and clapped his hands. "My, my, my, I do love a happy ending. It looks like everything's wrapped up, no need to get more involved. I'm sure the yard can handle the rest."  
  
Soma's eyes widened as he stood up. "Wait, no! There's Ayani and Mina. What will happen to them?"  
  
Lau laughed while Ciel looked at him. "We know the criminal underworld isn't involved in this, which means it has nothing to do with us."  
  
The note scrunched up in Soma's hand. "You're right. This is my problem. I need to be strong and find a way to deal with it on my own."  
  
Ciel smiled and stretched his hands out. "That's the right attitude. And it affords me the liberty to look after my own agenda." Soma sighed and sat down in defeat. "I was called during winter to deal with this idiotic case." He smirked. "I think I deserve to be compensated for the inconvenience, don't you?"  
  
Matching smirks came onto the lips of you and Sebastian as you looked down at him.   
  
"Thanks to West's nefarious activities, the competition at the curry exhibition this year will be considerably slimmer than it normally would be. So, perhaps the Phantomhive company should enter it's own curry. We would only have to beat West." He looked up at Lau and Soma. "Then the royal warrant would fall into our hands."  
  
A small gasped escaped Soma as Ciel smiled and looked down. "I was already considering expanding into the food industry anyway. Winning the royal warrant for our curry would generate some buzz and would be an excellent way to get started."  
  
Lau leaned forward. "But you only have a week before the contest. Can you find an adequate curry chef and gather the equipment in time?"  
  
"I don't think that will be necessary." He looked up at you. "Isn't that right, Isabella?" You smirked while Sebastian tilted his head.  
  
"Master?"  
  
He looked at Sebastian. "Considering Isabella is the only one here that has gotten close enough to the queen, it's a good chance she will pick her curry over experience and favoritism." He frowned. "That and you are still being punished for your actions, I don't think winning a competition and being praised for your food will be that annoying."  
  
He sighed as Ciel looked back at you. "So, will it be a problem?"  
  
You kept your smirk and bowed your head as you placed a hand on your stomach. "If I couldn't make a good curry for my master, then what kind of maid would I be? I shall secure the royal warrant."  
  
"Impossible!"  
  
You looked up at Soma. "There is no way you can win. They have Ayani cooking for them." He looked directly at you. "And her hand was blessed by the goddess, Kali."


	28. His Maid, Supremely Talented: 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My master has been acting a bit strange. He seems to be showing kindness. Yet, according to Sebastian, he is as cruel as ever. I wonder, could he be ill?
> 
> Then again, I seem to not be in control of my emotions as well. Perhaps it's a sickness. I hope i doesn't interfer with my cooking skills.

Ciel rose an eyebrow and looked at you, then back at Soma with a ghost of an amused smile on his lips. "Yes, I'm willing to admit that Ayani is a remarkable fighter, but this is a cooking competition. It's not combat."  
  
Soma looked down. "That is what I am saying. None of you have even glimpsed at Ayani's true power yet." He looked up at the three of you. "You don't know real curry. No."  
  
Ciel tilted his head. "What is this 'real curry' ?"  
  
"The key to curry is a mixture of spices. And the possibilities are infinite. Choosing the right ones can be a very difficult task. It is like trying to find the one truth in a vast universe. But Ayani can do it, she can create worlds out of nothingness. Her power is on the same plain as the gods. That's why she is known as 'The godly right hand of Kali'."  
  
He sat back in his chair. "Never in my life have I tasted a curry that could even begin to compare to hers."  
  
Lau grinned. "How interesting. Ayani's true power is creating the curry of Kali." He tilted his head back and let out a laugh.  
  
Ciel ignored him and looked up at you. "What do you think?"  
  
You folded an arm across your chest and put a finger to your chin. "Fascinating, indeed." You smirked. "It sounds like a challenge." You clapped your hands together and looked down at him. "Finally, I've been waiting for something to entertain me and I love a challenge." You let out a chuckle. "I can't wait to get started."  
  
**. . .**  
  
"Um, hello? Isabella, did you call for me--" Soma froze and his jaw dropped once he entered the kitchen and caught sight of the several rows of pots filled with different curry recipes.  
  
You turned and smiled at him. "Ah, prince Soma. You've come just in time. Please." With his jaw still hitting the floor, he walked over towards the pots. "I just finished the last recipe."  
  
He lazily pointed at them. "Wha...? You made all of these currys by yourself?"  
  
"Yes. You are the only one in the manor who has tasted Ayani's curry before." You picked up a ladle, then scooped up some of the curry in the first pot, proceeding to pour a bowl for him. "I would like you to perform a taste test." You held it out to him. "Which one should we use to defeat your maid?"  
  
He stepped back at first, but then looked to the side, and back at you. "Yes. Okay, I will. If I can repay your kindness by eating curry, I will eat as much as you want me to."  
  
You gave a small smirk. "Thank you, I appreciate it."  
  
He rose up his fist. "I will do it for Mina and Ayani."  
**  
**. . .  
  
Your head turned towards the kitchen door as Sebastian walked in and smiled at you. "How is the taste test coming?"  
  
You glanced back at Soma as you took his bowl and stood up. "At the moment, perhaps you should see for yourself."  
  
He looked at Soma, and his smile dropped at the Indian that looked about ready to pass out as curry stains covered his clothes and a stack of bowls surrounded him. "Oh, dear not very well, I take it?"  
  
You shrugged as you removed the lid of a pot and poured another curry recipe for him. "Not yet, he says there is something lacking, but it is working progress." Once you closed the lid, you turned and knelt down to Soma and slid the bowl next to him. As you turned and stood up, you came face to face with Sebastian.  
  
"I am more than willing to offer my assistance." He smirked and moved closer to your face. "If you want me." His voice was laced with an emotion you've never heard him express before, and you didn't know what it was, but for some unknown reason, it made your stomach twist in knots as your heart literally skipped a beat.  
__  
Flashback...  
  
"Are you actually developing an urge—even when you're not mates?" She shook her head. "He won't be pleased with you, you know how protective he is over you."  
  
You swallowed whatever feeling had just come over you and smiled down at the ground. "It's a very attractive offer, Sebastian." You looked up at him, and reached behind him for the plate of cake that was resting on the counter to hold it out in front of him. "However, you are currently being punished." You grinned. "Orders of the young master, who is awaiting his afternoon tea."  
  
You tilted your head. "Now go be one hell of a deer and get that -- along with this gateau au chocolat I made to accompany it."  
  
He sighed as he took the cake from you. "It's not much of a punishment as it is a leave of absence." He smirked. "It's like he's trying to keep me away from you."  
  
You kept a neutral face as he walked out of the kitchen, and once he left, you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding and turned back towards Soma. "Now, back to work."  
**  
**. . .  
  
Sebastian opened the bedroom door and bowed towards Ciel, who sat at his desk. "Pardon me, sir. For today's tea, we have gateau au chocolat."  
  
"I'll need proper dress for a royal audience." Sebastian paused in the center of the room to smirk at Ciel.  
  
"You insist she won't come -- you even make a bet with your maid, yet you dress up anyway. How amusing, the Queen's guard dog is a well-trained little pup, eh?"  
  
Ciel glared at him over his shoulder. "Has Isabella concocted a better curry than Ayani's yet?"  
  
"No. According to Prince Soma, there is still something lacking." He informed as he placed the cake beside Ciel.  
  
Ciel kept his eyes on the paper he was writing on. "Then you should stay out of the kitchen so you don't disturb Isabella as she works. And stop wasting your time making cakes, you have more important things to attend to."  
  
His smirk dropped. "I didn't make it. Isabella prepared it especially for you to pair with your tea."  
  
Ciel stopped writing, and Sebastian's eyes narrowed as he caught a red tinge on his cheeks. "Oh. Well, in that case..."  
  
"Pardon me, master. I am allowing Prince Soma to rest, he seems to have fallen asleep as I turned my back."  
  
They both turned once they saw you in the doorway. Ciel cleared his throat. "That's alright, you'll contiue when he wakes up."  
  
You nodded, then caught site of the cake Sebastian was picking up. "Do you not like what I made, sir?"  
  
"No. I just...I'm not in the mood for chocolate at the moment."  
  
Sebastian smirked. "Well, there's a surprise. You want to waste a plate of sweets, do you?"  
  
He glared at Sebastian. "Just drop it into the curry or something."  
  
"Indeed." You took the plate of cake from Sebastian and bowed your head. "As you wish, my young master." You glanced at him with a smirk. "I shall see to it immediately."  
**  
**. . .  
  
You stood afar as Sebastian finished tying Ciel's sword onto his belt and stood up to look at him in the mirror. "Is this outfit fit for a royal audience, my lord?"  
  
"Yes, it's fine. Now drop it." He sighed and looked at you in the mirror. "Anyway, Isabella, are you certain you can beat Ayani's curry today?"  
  
You smiled. "Of course." Your smile stretched into a smirk. "I swear it on the Phantomhive name. I shall win the royal warrant without fail."  
  
**. . .**  
  
The servants all stared up at the castle's inside as the crowd of people entered and spread throughout the structure. You clapped your hands and they all ran to stand in a line as if you were a drill Sargent.  
  
You folded your hands over your stomach and smiled as Sebastian and Ciel walked up next to them. You waited until Lau, Ran-Mao and Soma also walked up until you spoke. "Well, I have some...preparations to make. I must excuse myself." You bowed in a curtsy and walked away.  
  
Finny and Bard through their hands up as they waved you off.  
  
"Okay, see you later!"  
  
"That's it! Go get 'em, Isabella!"  
  
Soma turned his head as something caught his eye. Or rather, someone. His eyes widened as the figure disappeared into the crowd. "Mina?"  
  
**. . .**  
  
Once you opened the door to the room the competitors were in, you snickered at seeing it was full of men. Well, except for the woman on the couch who stood up as you walked in.  
  
"Why are you here?" Her voice boomed throughout the room.  
  
You smirked. "Well, I could ask you the same thing."  
  
**. . .**  
  
Soma ran and pushed his way through the crowd until he spotted the figure. "Mina!"  
  
Mina stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Was that...Prince Soma?" Her eyes widened as Soma ran towards her and tackled her in a hug.  
  
"Mina! I'm so glad! Ayani got you back!" He pulled away from her and smiled happily. "You don't have to worry now, we can go back to the palace."  
  
She stared at him blankly. "Highness?" She then scoffed and looked at him as if he were an idiot. "How stupid are you?"  
  
His smile dropped.  
  
"Go back with you? Don't make me laugh." She slapped his hand away from her shoulder. "Why would I want to go back there?" She turned around and crossed her arms under her poncho. "I already went through so much trouble to escape. People of royalty get to lounge around, never doing a day of work in their lives! But because i was born into a low cast, I was doomed forever more to be a servant."  
  
She outstretched her arms. "I don't wanna live my life forever trapped within the caste system!"  
  
Soma stared at her as  if she were a stranger. "You...went with him willingly? It was your decision?"  
  
She scoffed and turned around. "Yes, that's right. A lowly servant or a rich man's wife? Even a child knows which one is better." She put her hands on her hips. "I spent my life taking care of you, you selfish brat. I'm done with it. I promised I would not tell you, but here you are. You're old enough to know the truth." And with that, she turned and ran off.  
  
Soma stared after her and as she left, he had a person come to mind. "Ayani..."  
**  
**. . .  
  
Ayani sighed. "Mina and I came to an agreement. If I obeyed West, she would reveal nothing of her true feelings to the Prince." She rubbed her forehead. "He can't know the truth, he's still too naive to know yet."  
  
You hummed. "So that's what this is about."  
  
"Don't you see?" She dropped her hand and looked at you. "You -- as a servant to your master should know better than anyone.  I do this for my prince. I cannot lose."  
  
You softly smiled and looked down. "I will not lie -- I can relate. Everything I do -- I move -- I act for my master. So, it's funny you say that." You looked up at her. "Neither can I."  
  
She gazed down at the floor.  
  
You tilted your head and unbuttoned your coat to remove it, and as you did, you hummed. "Normally, I would use threats against my aponant and maybe even play a little dirty to make it interesting and more entertaining on my behalf. But..." You hung your coat on the rack and smiled at her. "I am willing to make an acception for you, Ayani."  
  
She looked back up at you in surprise.  
  
You extended your hand to her. "Just this once, I will play fair. I will try, as long as you will." She looked down at your hand. "Do we have a deal?"  
  
She gave a small smile and shook your hand. "Deal."  
  
**. . .**  
  
One of the chefs slammed his fist against the wall and sneered. "I'll never win with this will. Something is still missing..." He moved his fist to his forehead. "But what is it?"  
  
"You seem quite troubled."  
  
He spun around to face a woman with short white hair and purple eyes. She held out a small bag towards him. "Perhaps using this will help you."  
  
He looked down, then picked up the bag and sniffed it's contents. "What the hell?" He looked back up at her as she smirked.  
  
**. . .  
**   
The crowd murmured as you and Ayani walked behind the line of chefs and stood on the stage. As you looked down, you spotted the servants all waving. Sebastian stood behind Ciel with a smirk and Ciel looked at you knowingly.  
  
You looked to your right as the announcer walked on stage. "Thank you all for waiting! Welcome to the curry festival and the best curry London can offer!"  
  
The crowd cheered and applauded. And you heavily sighed once you saw why. Or who. The Viscount stood up and outstretched his arms to the audience, blowing them kisses as we  
Lau hummed. "Great. This guy again."  
  
Ciel scoffed. "Attention seeker."  
  
"And now, let the cooking begin!" The announcer frowned and the crowd died down as music bean to play. All attention was towards the source of the music.  
  
"What is it?" Ayani whispered towards you.  
  
You smirked. "Well, it looks as if I won."  
  
A red carpet rolled out and ended to the foot of the stage. Two figures emerged. A butler and a woman in all black, along with a black veil to cover her face.  
  
Ciel's eye widened. "Her majesty!"


	29. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short one-shot of Isabella's first day at the Phantomhive manor.

"Isabella!"

Vincent was panicking, pacing back and forth as he stared at the mark on the back of his neck.

"You called, master?"

He jumped and spun around to see you sitting on his bed with a smirk. 

He scowled and pointed at the mark. "What is this? What did you to me?"

You chuckled and crossed your legs. "I told you. Don't tell me you forgot already?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't think it was real. Only a fool would actually make a deal with something like you."

You frowned and quickly stood up so you were in his face. "Let's get something straight." You pushed him so he fell back on the bed. He stared up at you with wide eyes as you balanced yourself on your palms and hovered over him.

"You. Summoned. Me. I believe I did you a favor by actually coming to your aid. You should be thanking me instead of insulting me. You made a contract with me so I will aid you in achieving your goal. In return, I get the most precious thing you have to offer."

You rose your hand and pulled off your glove with your teeth. He stared at you while the glove dropped next to his face, and you showed the mark.

"From now, until the day your goal is achieved or your death, whichever comes first, I am yours. I will serve and protect you with all of my being, and only you."

He looked away. "I understand."

You smiled. "Good." He looked back when you put your glove back on and moved back up. "Then, what shall be my first order, master?"

He sighed as he sat up. "Well, to start off, if we wanna get anywhere, we'll need money to do it. Every since my father passed, we've been in a financial problem. The queen has abandoned us, and our profits have diminished to almost nothing. Phantomhive Co. has become little to nothing."

You hummed. "What exactly is the family business?"

"It used to be fishing and trade, but ever since the ports have closed and the water became more polluted, our buyers have lost interest."

You let out a laugh. "Of course, I'm sure that's why."

He looked at you with a glare.

You clapped your hands. "Very well. It seems I have much to do, then. For starters, we will diminish your finance problem by creating a new Phantomhive family business, with a new name. Then, we eliminate all factors that are causing a majority in the decreasing finance."

He stood up and rose an eyebrow at you. "That sounds impressive. But no matter how easily it sounds, it will be very difficult, almost impossible. How exactly can you alone achieve that?"

You smiled. "If I couldn't do that much for my master, then what kind of maid would I be?"

**. . .**

Tanaka sighed as he watched the servants bicker and complain.

"I haven't gotten my pay in over a month!" A server yelled in frustration.

"Ya, what kind of master doesn't pay his servants?"

"A bad one! Why are we even here?"

Tanaka frowned. "You are here because you serve the Phantomhive family. It's an honor to serve such a family of nobility."

"Ha!" The head chef laughed in his face. "You sure are preaching, old man. Why should we wait around, breaking our backs for this guy if he doesn't even reward us for it?"

The sue chef stood up and slammed his hands on the table. "He's right. This guy is just playing us all! He's just another brat from nobility, and a selfish bastard we could all care less about!"

They all shrieked when a knife landed a few centimeters from the Sue chef's hand. All eyes were on you as you pulled the knife out of the table and smiled to the ground.

"I don't mean to disrupt your bantering, but I have an announcement to make."

You looked up at them with a smirk. "You're all fired."

The room filled with a surprised silence. The head chef scoffed and pointed a finger in your face. "Hey! Who the hell are you? You got no right to be giving orders. Just who the hell do you think you—"

"I am Isabella Brieris." You put a hand over your stomach. "The new Head Maid of the Phantomhive household."

His eyes widened while everyone whispered amongst themselves.

"I was employed by Lord Phantomhive last night. He has put me in charge of this estate. And with the power vested in me by my master, you are all fired."

"You could at least tell us why! You can't come waltzing in here and just fire us!"

You looked back at one of the gardeners and rose your eyebrows. "I believe I just did, did I not?"

By the looks everyone was giving you, you sighed. "Very well. I'm sorry to inform you, but my lord cannot afford to keep wasting his money on unfaithful servants."

The room felt uneasy as that only increased their anger. The head chef growled. "Money?! He hasn't paid us in over a month!"

"That is precisely the point." They were silenced by your voice. "To not be devoted entirely to your master, to not be willing to give your very life for him, and only be driven by something as common as money...well, it sickens me."

"Honestly, if you want to blame someone for your lack of income, you might as well take a look at yourself. If you weren't as greedy as you are, you might realize there is more to being a servant to simply just doing as you're told."

You lifted your gaze to them. "Consider yourself unemployed."

**. . .**

"Isabella!"

You sighed as Vincent stormed into the kitchen. You looked at him over your shoulder to meet his angered face.

"My, you really have a kink for constantly screaming my name, don't you master?"

He threw down pairs of several aprons, along with Phantomhive crest pins. "What did you do?"

You rose an eyebrow and looked back to what you were doing. "I eliminated the majority of the reason you are close to bankrupt, sir. That was my order, after all."

"You can't just fire my entire staff! How is this place supposed to run? You can't have a manor without servants!"

"Please, don't concern yourself. That is why I am here." You spun around and bowed your head, while outstretching your arm.

His eyes widened at the sight of the entire counter filled with different foods, and the shocking part was they were all his favorite.

You chuckled. "As the Phantomhive maid, I swear, you have no need for worry. I shall always deliver, you never need to worry. Put your faith in your servant, master."

"Servants."

You both looked to the kitchen door as Tanaka walked in and bowed in front of Vincent. "I apologize for overhearing, sir, but I had to speak."

Vincent looked at him in confusion. "Tanaka...you're still here?" He looked at you. "I thought you fired everyone."

Your eyes were locked on Tanaka in curiosity. "I did."

"I'm sorry, sir. But I cannot leave." He put his hand over his heart and closed his eyes. "The Phantomhive are all I've ever known. I grew up here, sir." He looked up at Vincent. "Money is no mind to be. Please, I wish to be your Butler. If you'll have me."

A smile spread on Vincent's face as he walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "I would be honored to have you, Tanaka."

Tanaka put his hand over his and smiled to himself. "Thank you very much, sir."

They turned at the sound of you slowly clapping. You smiled as you walked up to him. "Yes, this will be much easier. I could use some help planning the new Phantomhive business."

You walked away , humming to yourself. "Perhaps a little word play to make it more appealing. Maybe Funtom..."

He sighed as he watched you walk out of the room. "Something tells me my troubles are just beginning."

 


	30. His Maid, Competing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spice is nice...Ah...Ahem, I'm sorry about that. I was talking to myself. A Phantomhive maid that can't make curry isn't worth her salt. Even the strongest attractor will be holding a curry favor with me.
> 
> Next time on Black Maid, "His Maid, Competing"
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

Everyone's attention was on the royal newcomer, surrounded by her bodyguards with her butler beside her. "Oh, my word!"  The announcer awed and bowed his head respectively. "Our gracious queen, her majesty and mother of England, Queen Victoria!"

The audience murmured amongst each other as she and her butler walked down the parted aisle. The viscount stood from his seat and outstretched his arms. The crowd joined in once he began. **_♪God Save Our Gracious Queen, Long Live Our Noble Queen, God Save The queen♪ ♪Send her Victorious, Happy and Glorious♪_**

By glancing around, you noticed you weren't the only one not singing along with the crowd. Sebastian and Lau silently watched - sebastian with his eyes glued to you. It was foreign to you. When you tore away your gaze from Sebastian, you saw that Ayani was even more confused when they began to sing. That's right, this entire event was foreign to her.

**_♪Long to Reign Over Us, God Save the Queen♪_ **

By the time they had finished, The Queen was standing in front of  her throne, with her butler by her side. He leaned down and she whispered something inaudible in his ear, before he stood straight and faced the crowd.

"Her majesty bids me tell you: I am so sorry I am unable to appear before you. However, I am in such perfect health that I may even enjoy curry again. My late husband was exceedingly fond of curry as well. I look forward to your food."

The audience erupted in a roar of cheer and it mad eyou smirk out of amusement, especially when Ciel's face paled as he looked up at you. Well, a bets a bet. Right, young master?

The announcer looked back to the crowd. "And with that, Ali Cuisine!"

**. . .**

Soma looked up from where he sat at the sounds of cheer coming from the stage. "So it has started."

_Flashback..._

_She then scoffed and looked at him as if he were an idiot. "How stupid are you?"_

He looked back down at his lap with a sigh.

**. . .**

You hummed to yourself as you tied your apron around your waist. Your eyes went to Ayani as she pinched spice after spice at a fast pace and combined it into her pan, making the crowd watch her intently.

"By joe! it's like that woman's hand has a mind of it's very own!"

"And it smells wonderful!"

West smirked and crossed his arms from in the crowd. "Ha. I paid for this. The hand of Kali. With her, I'm sure to win."

You chuckled and began to match her actions. West's smirk dropped as the crowd's attention turned to you. As you tossed certain spices into your pan, the crowd awed.

"And Funtom's not doing bad at all!"

"It smells amazing!"

West snarled and rubbed his chin as you smirked at him. ' _That maid...'_ The man beside him pointed at you as if you were mad. "I say! What is she doing?!"

You kept a smile on your face as you dropped pieces of chocolate into your pot of curry.

West laughed. "A kid's company. Of course they'd use chocolate. Just a bid for publicity."

You plucked another piece and paused to look down and lock eyes with Ciel. He shifted when you looked at him with a small blush on his cheeks.

Ayani stared at you and the chocolate with wide eyes. "He is wrong. That is a legitimate ingredient. Blending kakoule provides an aroma and bitterness and gives it a mellow, full bodied flavor."

You paused to stir it, then bring the ladel to your lips. You hummed in approval, then looked across at Ayani, who was still staring at you. "Where did you find an idea like that? You are a woman of England, are you not?"

You licked the curry from your lips and smiled. "It was an order from my master." Her eyes widened.

_Flashback..._

_Sebastian smirked. "Well, there's a surprise. You want to waste a plate of sweets, do you?"_

_He glared at Sebastian. "Just drop it into the curry or something."_

You wiped the excess chocolate from your lips and looked at it, then her. "I do his bidding. No matter how reckless his orders seem to be." You sucked the chocolate off your finger and smiled. "You see, I am simply one hell of a maid."

Her eyes narrowed. "You promised me you would play fairly."

You were taken back and put a hand over your stomach as you looked down. "No. I made a deal. I make no promises to simple humans. Be that as it may, I cannot go against an order from my master, my words are meaningless if they are against my devotion."

You rose your gaze to her. "Don't tell me, after all this time, after the crimes you've committed, you wouldn't do the same?"

A small gasp escaped her as you hummed with a smile.

Lau smiled as you put the chocolate in. "What an interesting choice."

Ciel closed his eyes with a sigh. "Damn. Isabella, what the hell are you doing?"

Your ears perked up and you snickered as you glanced back down at him. Ayani's eyes widened as she saw you both look at each other.

"Such a bond between servant and master." She looked around in the crowd for any sign of Soma, and frowned when she didn't see him. _'My prince...I knew you would not forgive me for this.'_ She looked up with determination and bent down to pick up a basket. _'But that is exactly why I cannot loose. It is time.'_ She grabbed the contents and pulled out a blue lobster.

The viscount slammed his hands on the Judge's table and stood with wide eyes. "It's the legendary blue lobster, said to only exist in the seas of Brittany! It's beautiful blue shell wraps around like a dress wraps around a woman. So perfect, so magnificent! And it's flavor is so perfectly exquisite! The sweetness of the blue lobster has been known to paralyze men before!"

West pointed at Ayani. "Exactly!" He crossed his arms with a smug smile. "You can't just add anything to curry. You see, mine is the truly sophisticated recipe."

Ayani stared at you with a snarl. "Whatever happens, I shall defeat you. Prepare for me! I have the hand of a goddess!"

You rose your eyebrows as she sliced, skinned, and chopped at an inhuman speed. You could hear the tiny screams of the poor blue lobster as it fell victim to the powered wrath of a goddess. "Oh dear, you are indeed a deathly determined chef. What a brutal cooking contest."

One of the other chefs adjusted his glasses and looked at Ayani with wide eyes and looked down at his curry with decreasing confidence. He glanced down and pulled out the bag of spice provided by the white-haired girl and sprinkled in the glowing purple substance.

**. . .**

"Time up!"

You all stood opposite and side by side from the table of judges. "And now for the judging!"

"Up first, we have Parson Tub's beef curry!" One of the chefs took a breath and walked up to the table, unveiling his dish. 

The first judge smiled. "The beef is thickly cut and served in generous portions! I say, not a bad recipe."

The second judge frowned and shook his head. "But the dullness of the flavor makes this a disgrace." He glared at the chef. "A professional chef using curry powder?"

The Tub chef's eyes widened.

The viscount swallowed the spoon full of curry and looked at the second chef presenting. "I assume that your company blends it's own spices, correct?"

The chef adjusted his glasses. "Um, yes, we do."

He hummed and looked down at the curry. "Interesting. There's one particular scent in here that I like."

His eyes widened as he adjusted his glasses again. The second chef scoffed. "But if that particular scent stands out, that means the whole dish is out of balance."

The viscount shrugged. "Well, we can give them credit for trying."

"Next, Harold West and Co.!"

Ayani stepped up and placed the dish on the table. "I am happy to present my dish." Once she uncovered it, it revealed a variety of curry recipes surrounding the prepared blue lobster placed in the middle. "Seven types of curry with blue lobster."

The second judge awed. "So vividly colorful!" He took a bite and his eyes widened. "Delicious! Perfect sweetness and the taste is like butter melting on your tongue!"

The first judge smiled wider. "On top of that, she's given us seven different varieties of curry!"

The viscount exhaled a moan. "Oh, this is you! The beautiful woman I met at the ball that night! The seven jewels that adorn your neck, the brilliant gold broach, the perfectly matching bracelet! Your pearls in sapphire, the garnet choker, the lovely cameo! And on your finger, a ring of diamonds and emeralds, all showing off your natural beauty!" He stood up, grasping his chest. "My love, you stole my heart right then!"

The audience awed at him, while you stifled a laugh. _'My lord, it seems Mr. Chambers never did forget the impression you left on him.'_

_Flashback..._

_He sighed as you handed him his fan. "Are you certain I have to wear this?"_

_You smiled. "Master, you know the consequences of being the Queen's guard dog."_

_He narrowed his eyes as he snatched the fan from you, turned, picked up his sapphire dress and mumbled to himself as he stomped out of the room. "That still doesn't explain why I have to wear these jewels."_

You smiled to your self as you glanced down at your ring. _'And you thought it wouldn't work...'_

"Extraordinary praise! Perhaps her victory has been assured!"

West grinned as he pulled his hat over his eyes.

"But we have one more competitor left to go." The announcer turned and gestured to you and your dish. "From the Funtom company!"

You walked up and bowed with a smile. "I do hope you enjoy what I have to offer." You lifted the lid and the judges all stared at it in confusion.

The second judge frowned. "That's curry?!" He stood up and pointed at the uncooked buns that rested on the plate. "Now, just what are you playing at, young lady?"

You smiled. "My apologies. Allow me to show you." You turned and placed the buns in a pot of boiling water.

They all stood up. "NO! frying?!"

The servants all stared at you in disappointment. Bard stood up. "What are you doing, Isabella?! We aren't makin' donuts here!"

You only hummed at their reactions as you placed the fried buns on the plate and turned to the judges. "There. They're all ready now." You placed one on each of their plate. "This is Funtom company curry." You bowed again and stepped back.

The second judge scowled. "Well I don't see any curry."

The viscount kept his eyes on you in confusion, then looked down at the bun. "Hold on a moment...look at that." He picked up a knife and sliced down the middle, which opened to reveal curry surprise inside. 

The judge's eyes squinted. "What's that?"

The viscount stared at it. "Curry on the inside!"

Ayani's eyes widened as West's jaw dropped. "What?!"

You smirked. "The Phantomhive company presents our own brand of curry. Behold, the curry bun!"

The audience looked with a mix of surprise and awe. "A curry bun?"

The second judge picked up a piece on his fork and once he took a bite, his jaw dropped. "Oh, dear me!" His fork fell on his plate with a clatter. "This is wonderful! The bread covering the curry is crunchy, yet fluffy. Giving the dish incredible radiance and texture!"

The first judge's eyes widened in awe. "What's even more amazing is the structure, which traps in all the flavor of the curry! Cut it open, and it's all there!"

The Viscount let out a load moan of extreme pleasure as his eyes moved on you in realization. He stood up with outstretched arms towards you. "You are the lovely maiden I met at the soiree! By day, you appear to be, but a graceful, seducing raven. But by night falls, I see your beautiful face. Your true face."

He rounded the table and stood in front of you. "I want you badly!" He hugged himself and sank to his knees. "I want to embrace you, my love!" His arms reached out to you as the audience watched in adoration.

You just stepped to the side and glanced back. Sebastian had a look that appeared calm, but the emotions in his eyes were threatening. The eyes you would see on a child if someone else was playing with his favorite toy. For some odd reason, you felt your cheeks warm. Hm, must've been the heat. And Ciel, well, he just shuddered and hugged himself, earning a curious glance from Lau.

"Yet another raving review! Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have a real contest here!"

"Isabella." You turned to Ayani, who was gazing at you with a look of anger and surprise. "Tell me. Are you a..."

The smirk you gave her triggered a glare from her, which redirected back from you.

"The judges will now need a little bit of time for deliberation. In the meantime, the guests can enjoy any curry they like!"

Once the curry was placed on a buffet table, the crowd attacked it like a pack of mannered hungry wolves. A majority picked yours and Ayani's curry. But, it was the servants that made a beeline for your curry.

You smiled as Lau, Ran Mao, and Ciel walked over. Lau slowly clapped as he walked up. "Very well done, I must say. Wouldn't you agree, my lord?"

Your eyes traveled to Ciel as he hummed. "Well, I didn't think you would take my words literally. You certainly had everyone on the edge of her seat."

"Yes." Your eyes moved off to the right, which made Ciel furrow his brows. "My lord, Ayani had a brief decrease in her confidence, which I believe served as a weak point."

"What do you mean?"

You looked back to him. "Her master was absent." You looked back to the right, which Ciel followed and sighed by seeing Soma standing in an empty part of the castle. Without a word, he walked over to him, with you watching.

"Isabella." You turned and came faced with Sebastian who had a smile. "Might I have a word?" That was when you noticed Lau and Ran Mao were gone.

You hummed. "Remind me to keep an eye on those two."

His smile dropped. "My, my. You don't even realize what witnessing another man speaking of claiming you does to me, do you?"

Your face fell. _'Oh damn, not now.'_

"To think of him embracing you. Well..." He smiled again. "It turns into me thinking of ripping out his spine."

"Sebastian." You mustered up the most serious face you could have. "Since you can't take a hint, allow me to explain bluntly." You licked your lips and took a large breath. "I will never be your mate. I do not want you and it will be a thousand years before I will even consider it."

"Well, I am willing to wait."

_Oh, right. We're Immortal._

"That's besides the point. Listen, it's time to end this fantasy of yours—"

"In your eyes, it may be a fantasy." You gulped as he stepped closer to you and kept his eyes with yours. "But, I see how I affect you. You may think I don't, but I do. I cannot keep my eyes off of you. Your figure, your lips, your eyes, I want to dominate them all. Your being- I want to dominate it and claim it- claim you as mine. And only mine."

Your mind goes blank as you try to process his words and come up with your own. And once you finally could, you breathed out the wrong ones. "Sebastian..."

"Isabella."

You turned when the Queen's butler called your name. You smiled. "Yes?"

"You are Funtom's curry chef. The queen is surprised and delighted of seeing her old servant again, and for memory, she would like a curry bun. Would you be so kind as to bring one here?" His face was emotionless as the Queen clapped her hands together and gave a small nod.

You smirked and bowed your head. "Yes, anything for her majesty." The crowd watched in silent awe as you walked over and bowed before her, handing her one of your buns. "Here you are."

She pulled off one of her gloves and picked up the bun.  You moved to stand up, but froze. "Isabella." A small frail voice came from behind the veil. She said only two words. "Thank you." You smiled and stood up. Once she took a bite, she whispered into her butler's ear. He nodded, glanced at you, then straightened up and looked directly at you.

"The queen says: You have created something a child could eat without the use of a knife or a fork. In doing so, you have reinforced a necessary equality between our nation's children and it's adults. For that, I thank you. Well done. You have contributed to our great country, miss. Her majesty is truly appreciative."

"Don't make me laugh!"

All eyes went to Mina, who was bent over the buffet table. "Don't flatter yourself. Equality? The future? Easy prospects for the queen of a rich country to speculate on!" She stood up and spun around. Your eyes widened at her form, that was glowing with a purple aura and her eyes that were filled with hot pink. "But what do you even know?!" She pushed off the curry on the table with West running up and putting his arms around her.

"Mina! What are you doing?! You're in front of her majesty!"

In response, she elbowed him in the rib, which made him go flying across the area into a tree. A swarm of officers ran up in an attempt to restrain her, but she knocked them to the ground. "Shut up! You don't know curry! It is a caste marker!"

The judges stood up in alert, while the viscount smiled. "Oh, my. Her legs move with such grace, her hips are amazing. I'm sure, this woman is the goddess, kali, personified! Oh, how-" He didn't get to finish as he was knocked over by a officer that she threw.

It was at that moment that several members of the audience started glowing, same as Mina. Ciel's eyes widened. "The queen!" He ran forward toward the stage, but was blocked off by two of those 'possessed'.

They all turned to him. "That smell. That's hatred. Hatred and greed." They all moved to circle around him. "The stench of the impure!" One grinned. "Snuff him out. Kill him." Ciel's eyes were wide, right before they were all struck down by you and Sebastian.

You smirked as you twirled the ladle in your hand. "Well, would you look at that, my lord. It seems Kali has risen."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Really, and who is this 'kali' ?"

As another ran up, you swung the ladle, used the base to pull the man to the ground, flipped, and used the front to snap his neck. "Long story short, she is a goddess of India, said to have faced a demon that challenged her."

He laughed in amusement as he threw a set of knives to four approaching possessed men and women. "Well, it appears history is repeating itself."

Ciel looked down. "According to the legend, Kali carried around a demon's head." He looked up at the both of you. "Let's say you - Shall we disprove the legend, then?" He looked at the possessed and frowned. "I order you to stop Kali!"

Sebastian put a hand over his heart while you put the ladle across your stomach and bowed your heads. "Indeed, my lord."

Right then, a group of possessed tackled Sebastian, who kicked a few off and began to fight a fast approaching group. As you moved to aid him, you were pulled back by none other than Mina.

Her legs moved fast to kick you, and since you were caught off balance, she succeeded and you nearly landed flat on your back, but you stopped yourself, while blocking a punch with your ladle. You twisted around, kicked her up in her jaw and flipped around to land on your feet.

She sent several flying fists to you, but you blocked each one with your ladle. As this happened, you smirked. "Your fast, I'll give you that." You frowned. "But you're no goddess." She growled, and yelled as she kicked vigorously towards your head. You blocked each movement and spun around to kneel and sweep her feet. She jumped, but as she landed, you sent a kick to her face, which sent her flying across into the table.

More possessed began to surround you, until a yell was heard, and they were all on the floor. Ayani smirked as she put her back against yours in a fighting position. "I shall assist you."

You rose an eyebrow. "Shall you? You seem to have more energy than normal. Did something happen to make you this way?"

She smiled with a light blush on her cheeks. "Yes. And now, my happiness makes me invincible."

You smiled and looked back at the three you had your ladle pointed towards. "Good. The two on the right are yours."

"Right!"

**. . .**

The queen's butler chuckled as he and Ciel watched you and Sebastian, who wasn't too far away. "You have a fine maid and butler. I doubt they will need my help in this battle."

Ciel looked back at him as the butler frowned. "A bit strange though, isn't it? This is all because of some spice. But only certain people are affected. If it's that evil, wouldn't more people go insane? Really, if you think about it, there is nobody who can claim to be truly pure of heart."

Ciel's eyes widened as he looked down at the spilled plate of curry buns.

As you took down another possessed, you paused when something caught your eye. There was a flash of pink hair that disappeared behind a set of trees. You narrowed your eyes, unaware of Mina, who was running straight for Ciel.

Soma ran and blocked them. "No, wait, Mina!"

You turned and noticed her while Ciel yelled at him. "No, you fool!"

He had determination on his face. "Come on!" His plan would've worked, if Mina hadn't of slipped on a skinned blue lobster on the floor and collided with it.

Ayani's eyes widened. "My prince!"

"Isabella, Sebastian!" You both stopped and looked at Ciel. "The buns. Feed them the curry buns you made!"

You smiled. "Certainly." However, your ladle was grabbed by another possessed, and took you down with it. You head butted him and looked back at Sebastian. "Sebastian, you may want to feed this gentleman first."

He flung a curry bun towards you, and ducked, allowing it to instead invade the man's mouth as he fell to the floor.

Ciel stood afar and watched as you and Sebastian continued to throw curry buns at the possessed and scoffed to himself. _'Curry cooked by a demon. And it makes people happy. What an utter joke. And how utter liking. But, if she chose to infuse her dish with kindness and happiness, that's what they will get.'_

You soared down and threw a bun at Mina, who still lied on the floor. "Madame."

She let out a groan, but was silenced by the bun. As you landed, you both looked around and saw the possessed stopped glowing and sunk to the floor with headaches.

You waited until they all returned to normal, then you dropped the ladle. And as you looked up, you saw them. She grinned once you saw her and gave a mocking wave, while he smirked as he rubbed his chin and looked you up and down.

You narrowed your eyes and snarled.

"The queen bids me tell you."

You looked back at the queens butler for a second, before looking back, but they were already gone. With a scoff, you turned and walked away.

"The goodness of your curry buns has defeated the evil of the demon spice and healed those who had afflicted. Therefore, the winner for the royal warrant has been decided."

**. . .**

You all watched as they carried stretchers of those who fell victim and were severely hurt or killed by you, Sebastian, and Ayani.

"How will they be treated?" Ciel asked.

The queen's butler smiled. "They won't be treated badly." He turned to Ciel. "Thank you. You have done very well today. I congratulate you on your success of obtaining a royal warrant." He looked back at the queen, who was surrounded by her bodyguards. "You have made her majesty very pleased."

"She bids me tell you: I'm sorry for your hardship. But know I have been watching your work closely. I am in the light as you are in the shadows. Though our positions are different, we strive for the same thing." He stopped to bow towards him. "I ask - can you please continue to aid her majesty?"

Ciel stared at him. "Yes."

He smiled. "Then I bid you farewell." He turned, and you all watched as the royals disappeared.

"I have to thank you too, Ciel." Ciel turned to Soma, who smiled. "If I would not have met you, I would be as selfish and bratty as I've always been. There are so many things I need to learn. All of England - No!- All of the world has much to teach me, and I am a willing student."

Ayani turned to you. "And I thank you, too." She knelt down to bow her head. "Your household has taught Soma and me many great things. What would we have done without you?"

You chuckled and knelt down, and with the hand not holding the trophy, you offered it to her. "Please lift up your head. I had my own reasons for my actions. You have absolutely no reason to be thanking me." She looked up at you with watery eyes. "The gods you worship are Kali and Shiva, they were able to realize their mistakes through pain, like you and Soma. You see? The old abbot is true - without pain, we can truly never hope for good."

She took your hand and stood up with a laugh. "I have learned my gods teachings through an Englishwoman. How embarrassing."

You smiled and walked away. "Nationality is irrelevant. All times and places are the same. Human nature is a static thing."

She smiled. "Yes, I understand now."

Soma's eyes watered as he embraced Ciel from behind. "Mina! My Mina left me!"

"Let me go!"

Ayani giggled. "I am very glad that we came to England. My prince and I both made friends idealy suited to us."

Your eyes widened. "A friend? No female has ever referred to me as that. You, Ayani, are the first."

Ciel growled in irritation as Soma sobbed into his back. "Go find a handkerchief!"

You smiled at them, but it dropped once you saw _them_ again. You frowned as they disappeared into the sunset.


	31. His Maid, Overtime: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are times when a blooming flower can be trapped by the thorns it uses to its will. It is trapped until the thorns are cut to a fine. A crow's beak is it's Savior. And it takes this beauty in its mouth to embrace her tightly...Ahem, apologies, I was lost in thought.
> 
> Next time on Black Maid "His Maid, Overtime"
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

You let out a breathy sigh once his lips brushed against your cheek, then left a trail of kisses to your lips.

You opened your eyes as his arms wrapped around you. "This is so wrong..."

He smirked and you let out a yelp once his hands traveled down and firmly grasped your ass. "Sebastian!!"

He lowered himself, his eyes still locked with yours as his lips went under your chin and down your neck. You bit your lip and threw your head back once he slowly unhooked your garders and pulled them down.

He bit the tip of your glove and slid it down off your fingers while also pulling your skirt down. He traveled back up by unbuttoning the bottom to the top. Once he reached the top, the shirt fell to the floor. You were now in only a corset.

You looked at him unsurely as he began to untie the laces of the back. And at a very fast pace. "We should not..."

You found yourself turning to leave, but he grabbed your arms and pulled your back to his chest. His lips moved to your ear. "I have waited far too long for this. Let me enjoy myself."

"I don't think we should—"

"Shh..." It was when he moved his pale finger to your lips, pulling them down slightly, it was then did you realize he was bare.

He embraced you tightly and breathed in your scent. "Isabella..."

"Isabella..."

"Isabella!"

_'Hmm, yes my crow?'_

Your eyes opened up and you were greeted with Sebastian staring down at you in concern. "Isabella? Are you alright?"

Your eyes widened as you shot up from your spot. "What?!" You looked around, realizing you were on the floor of Ciel's bedroom.

You looked back to him with heavy breaths. "What's going on?"

"Well, you weren't in the kitchen, we've been looking for you everywhere, and I came in when I heard a noise to find you here, unconscious. I was concerned. Now, is everything alright?"

_'It was all a dream? But..it felt so real...'_

"Um...yes." You folded your hands together and smiled. "Everything is fine...I was just..um..."

"Oh, my. You're bleeding."

_'What?'_

You glanced down and saw blood and a small hole in the center, between your breasts. _'Oh, well that's new'_

You pinched your fingers inside the hole and dug in, until you grasped onto something, and you pulled out a small iron ball. A bullet.

You stared, then looked up at him. "Sebastian, did you say you heard a noise?"

He frowned. "Yes. It sounded like something was shattered."

You looked back at the bullet. _'Shatter?'_

_Flashback..._

_You let the door close as you walked into Ciel's room. You went to the bed and began to change the sheets, but stopped once you heard a click outside the window._

_"Oh, lord Phantomhive..."_

_Your brows furrowed as you turned, but you were immediately stopped when the window shattered and a bullet flew by straight into your chest._

_Your eyes widened as you saw her wave at you with a wink, and you collapsed._

You growled and quickly stood up to turn and look behind you. Your eyes narrowed at the shards of glass, but the culprit was long gone.

"Damn you, Azah."

He rose an eyebrow. "Azah?"

You turned and frowned. "It's nothing of concern, for now. Just some old friends."

"Old friends, you say?"

You sighed as you walked to the door. "Never mind." You both left the room, but as you walked down the hall next to him, a thought came to mind. "While I was unconscious, did I happen to say anything...interesting?"

He rubbed his chin and hummed. "Interesting? No."

You let out a breath of relief. 'Good.'

"Just moaned my name a couple of times."

You froze, stopped in your tracks with wide eyes while Sebastian kept walking with a smug smirk.

**. . .**

"A rock?" Ciel stared at you in confusion. "The window was shattered by a rock?"

You smiled. "Yes, just a harmless accident, sir."

"Huh." He sat back in his chair and pondered for a second. "Alright, we'll have it replaced. You may return to your duties."

You put a hand over your stomach and bowed your head. "Thank you, master."

As you and Sebastian turned the leave the room, you were stopped. "Where do you think you're going? I didn't excuse you."

Sebastian looked back at him and rose his eyebrows. Ciel kept his head down as he wrote. "You are still being punished. Go check on those servants— or better yet, bring me my tea and make yourself useful."

You heard him scoff under his breath, but he still smiled and bowed his head. "As you wish, my lord."

You smiled to yourself as you walked out of the room.

Ciel didn't look up as Sebastian placed his tea in front of him. "There you are, sir."

He only received a hum in response.

Sebastian looked down at him with narrowed eyes. "Master?"

"What?"

"I was wondering as to when this so called "punishment" will be over?"

"When I say it is. Now, is that all?"

When he didn't hear a response, Ciel looked up to meet Sebastian's curious gaze.

"I couldn't help but notice your change of attitude towards Isabella. You don't seem as cold and impatient as you usually are."

He scoffed. "Don't be stupid. I favor her at the moment because she hasn't gone against my orders."

"Perhaps...or, just maybe, it's because you still have some unannounced feelings towards her."

He choked on his tea. As he violently coughed, Sebastian stared at him with an emotionless face.

He looked up at him with a scowl, but the redness to his cheeks was a giveaway. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

The room was silent as Sebastian stared at him. It was clear he wasn't buying it, but after a few moments, he bowed his head.

"My apologies, sir. I will resume my duties."

Ciel watched him walk out of the room, and it wasn't until he closed the door, did he breath a sigh of relief. "That was too close."

"However—"

"Ah!"

He jumped when Sebastian slammed a file on the desk. "This says differently."

He looked at him with wide eyes. "What are you doing?! Your supposed to be working!"

"You forget I'm not the only one here running this manor. The head maid has already taken care of everything. Now..."

He pushed the file to him. "Why don't we take a little trip down memory lane, hm, master?"

Ciel gulped. "I don't know what you hope to prove by this, it's just a silly old file—"

"Humor me. Please." He smiled, but it only made him uneasy.

He let out a breath and reached over to open the file. He was met with articles, medical files, and reports of a missing person.

"Do you remember your response to Prince Soma's outburst at dinner?"

_Flashback..._

_Ciel looked at you, and you saw something present in his eyes; an emotion you haven't seen since the night of your master's death, then he looked at Soma. "Yes, I do."_

_Soma's face fell as Ciel's turned emotionless. "Although, not despair, the loneliness of isolation is something I may know well." He slapped Soma's hands away and pushed him out of his way. "Don't make the mistake that you are the only one here who has lost something. It doesn't matter who you are, your pride makes you believe something like that gives you great despair, than I don't understand it, and I don't care to."_

"Your words had a deeper meaning than you revealed. Tell me, did you even tell Isabella that after her disappearance, the first order you gave me was to find her?"

He looked down and started to sink in his seat.

"Did you tell her of the nightmares you had of it being her that was tortured and humiliated?"

He kept a scowl as he turned his chair to him.

"Or even—" He grabbed his chair and turned it around so his face was close to his. "Of your infatuation with her."

"Stop it."

"You know you cannot deny it. It's written all over your face when you look at her."

"That's enough!" He banged his hands on the desk and stood up to stare coldly at him. "Fine. Since you're so determined for me to admit it, I will! Ever since I was a child, she's the one person whose ever truly stayed by my side. When she returned, at first I was angry at the fact of what she was, but now, I see that doesn't matter. You only want her for what she is, and I will not allow that. She is mine, not yours, and I will not let you have her!"

Sebastian's laughter made Ciel stop his ranting. "Young master. The only reason she's here is because she was given an order by her master, Vincent Phantomhive. It is because his soul still exists and the contract that remains in tact, that she has to finish that order."

"You're wrong. My father is dead."

"Yes, but his soul is very much alive. As long as it is existing and in her possession, the contract remains. Did you really believe she was her for you?"

"Don't. I know what you're trying to do and it won't work. She cares, unlike everyone else here."

His smile fell to a frown. "Dear, you really are a child, aren't you? Have you forgotten what she is? Demons do not feel."

"She's not just a demon!"

Sebastian rose an eyebrow as Ciel sighed. "You do know of her ancestry. A part of her is human, in other words she can feel. The choice remains hers whether or not she will allow herself to have those emotions."

"And it is because of this, you think you will win? This so called "punishment", this rouse of yours, it won't last forever. Honestly, between the two of us, who do you think she will choose?"

Sebastian lowered his gaze to the floor. "Your claim that I only desire her for what she is is false—not true. At first, perhaps, but now...things have changed. She is unlike any other demon I've met alone, and females, their only goal is to find a male for their own. She wanted nothing to do with me, but very slowly, her walls to shield herself are crumbling."

He smirked. "She has a fire in her I cannot extinguish. Yet, you have it in your head you can tame her? I have given an arm for her, I have killed for her and told her how she affects me. What have you done? You've insulted her, faulted her, made her believe she means nothing to you. You've under appreciated her and abused her."

He grabbed the hand Ciel slapped you with. "Don't you see? It's time to face facts, I can give her everything you can't and more. I will have her. She will be mine and I will worship her both for what and who she is."

"Get off!" Ciel pulled his arm away from his grip.

Sebastian smiled and bowed his head. "Let the best man—oh, sorry—male win."

With a frown, Ciel watched Sebastian walk out of the room, chuckling to himself.

**. . .**

You crept around the bushes. Your eyes scanned through the branches as you ventured deeper into the woods. _'I know you're here, Azah. I can smell your disgusting scent.'_

The sound of twigs breaking made your head snap in the direction it came. "Meow?"

"Oh, my! How'd you get here, little fella?" Your eyes widened when Finny picked you up and rubbed his cheek against yours.

"Meow!" You used your paws to push his face away. _'Honestly, there's no time for this!'_

"Aw, it's okay, you don't have to be afraid. I'll be your friend!"

_'No thank you, I have enough friends as it is!'_

You hissed and scratched his hand with your claws.

"Ow! Hey, wait!" He reached out as you jumped from his arms and climbed up a nearby tree.

_'That was close. What does a feline have to do to snoop in privacy around here!'_

"There you are."

Your ears went up at the voice, and when you felt hands grab you, you immediately used your claws to grab onto the branch.

_'Damn, not again!'_

"Meow! Hiss!" Despite your resistance, you were hanging from the branch with your nails deep inside.

"Hmm, that looks oddly comforting. Hang in here, baby."

_'Damn you! Damn you to he—'_

You screeched as he pulled you off. You clawed, kicked and hissed, but he only chuckled.

"Now, now, no need to fret, my kitten."

You froze your movements with your large red eyes opening to be met with similar amused ones. _'My kitten?'_

If cats could blush, you were sure you would be right now. But he couldn't tell, so you narrowed your eyes. "Meow. Meow. Meow."

_'Put. Me. Down.'_

He smirked and rubbed your chin. You tried to move your head away, but the more he did it, the more you moved closer. ***Purrrr***

_Flashback..._

_You involuntary closed your eyes by his touch. ***Purrrrrr***_

_The vibrations of his deep chuckle ran throughout your body, which didn't exactly help your current situation._

_The next thing you know, a pair of lips were being smashed against yours. Your eyes widened and your jaw dropped, which only gave him an advantage as his tongue slipped into your mouth and wrestled with yours until it explored every part over and over._

Your ears shot up as you looked away. _'Ugh, why did I have to think of that now?'_

You pushed his gloved hands away and jumped out of them, attempting to crawl away.

"Isabella"

You groaned and looked back at him over your shoulder, but he was reaching up into the tree and plucked something from the branch. He stared at it, then glanced at you.

You stepped back as he knelt down and opened his palm to you. You peered inside curiously. It was a bullet shell.

You looked back up to bet met with Sebastian's cold eyes. "A rock, was it?"

"Meow?"

**. . .**

You kept your eyes emotionless as Sebastian led you down the hallway with his hand firmly grasping your arm.

_'Someone seems a little unhappy.'_

That was an understatement, since his grip was so tight to where you couldn't even feel your arm anymore and it took everything not to show his demonic side and really give you hell.

He slammed the kitchen door open, and it was a miracle no-one was there, or we may have been one servant short. He finally let you go and stood behind you.

"You will tell me everything. Now."

_'Demanding, are we? Not that I have any objections...'_

"Do calm down, we don't another mess to clean up."

"Isabella."

You turned to face him at the harshness in his voice. He had a darkness in his eyes. And if you were being honest, it was very alluring. But you would never admit that aloud.

"Very well, if you insist. When I was forced to forever be damned in hell after the death of my mother and father, there was a demon named Azah that was in charge of torturing me. She continues to be very fond of her job. But soon after, it was time for the picking of a new personal slave for his majesty, and once he saw into my...abilities, he took an interest in me. I became his favorite pet very quickly, and during that time, I was, well...watched over by a demon named Luesir. We spent plenty of daily time together, and he developed a fascination towards me. They were partly the reason I left."

You paused to reach into your pocket and pull out the bullet you found in your chest earlier. "The morning of the master's birthday, Azah lured me into the forest with a song we sing to the tortured souls and they revealed themselves."

"And why were they here?" You glanced back up at Sebastian, who held a curious look.

"To take me back." His face fell. "Naturally, I refused them. Threatened, even. Yet, it seems they're a bit persistent."

He rose an eyebrow. "Persistent?"

"Well, considering Azah has shot me in the chest...and..."

"And what?"

You bit your lip. "And they may have a target for the young master, believing him to be the key in my return to hell."

His eyes narrowed. "You've involved the young master? Why haven't you informed me of this until now?"

"I didn't believe they would go that far, they may be demons, but they're still mindless slaves. They don't make any decision unless it's ordered by their king."

"This is inexcusable. Anything that is a threat to the master's safety, I need to be notified of. It is our job to ensure it."

You scoffed. "There's no need to worry. They haven't made a move yet. They're just toying with me. It's just a game in their eyes, and they believe they will scare me into going back."

You made movements to walk out of the door, but he grabbed you by the waist and pulled you so your back was to his chest. This made you blush, considering...

_You found yourself turning to leave, but he grabbed your arms and pulled your back to his chest. His lips moved to your ear. "I have waited far too long for this. Let me enjoy myself."_

_'Come on, not now'_

"And what if they manage to persuade you?" His voice was firm, but it was also a little fearful.

"That will not happen."

"Oh? How do you know?"

"Oh, Sebastian, they would fail miserably at attempting to persuade me. I'm not someone that can be persuaded by anyone."

His grip tightened and his voice turned velvety. "Oh, don't be so sure. I happen to be an expert in persuading, my kitten. And if you would happen to be pulled away, I would have no choice but to use my methods of persuasion on you to make you stay."

A smirk crawled up your face, but you didn't look back at him. "And what exactly will you do to persuade me?"

You felt his warm breath on your ear as he whispered seductively in a low tone. "I will push you up against the walls and make you groan. I'll worship your body, every square inch of it. I'll paint your skin with my tongue. I promise you this, my kitten, I will not be nice and for you, I will be one hell of a lover."

Your breath caught in your throat. You couldn't make any words, or even think of any.

You spun around and looked into his eyes, searching for any sign of bluffing. But there was nothing. He meant what he said, and that only made your insides melt.

"...Se-Sebastian..."

"Aghhhhh!!!"

The sounds screams coming from the other side of the door made you look back. He pushed the door open and you both ran out. Your eyes widened.

Sebastian was focused on Bard, who was loading his flame thrower with lighter fluid, and quickly ran over to snatch it away from him, while Finny and Mey-Rin were screaming and trying to stomp them out with brooms.

You were frozen as you watched them crawl everywhere. Scorpions. Everywhere.

As they destroyed the some of them, the rest crawled around your feet and out the door, down the hall.

You slowly turned to watch them as Sebastian walked back over to you with a frown.

"It appears I was wrong." You looked up at him. "There is a need to worry."

You glanced down as they crawled over Sebastian's feet and completely ignored yours. "They're here." You looked at him knowingly.

"They're in the manor."


	32. His Maid, Overtime: 2

The servants had confusion and fear on their faces. 

There was a light blush on Mey-Rin's cheeks as she twiddled her thumbs. "Um...should we do something?"

Finny's eyes were wide. "I don't know. Maybe we should stay put?"

Bard scratched the back of his neck with furrowed brows. "So...we're just gonna pretend like we weren't just locked in the broom closet?"

Ciel growled in irritation as he banged on the closet door. "Open this door right now! Do you hear me?!"

As he panted from exhausted, Tanaka laughed in the background.

"Do forgive me, young master. It's for your own safety."

Ciel scoffed from the voice that came from the other side. "Damn you. I can see your smirk from in here! Open this door, that's an or—!"

"Ciel."

He froze once he heard your voice.

"Please, I assure you I wouldn't allow this if I knew it wasn't crucial to your safety."

"Isabella...you agreed to locking us in here?"

"Well...actually, it was my idea to begin with. Please, stay here until either me or Sebastian comes. Ciel. Trust me."

He clenched his teeth, and after a few moments of silence, he sighed and fell back against the door. "Fine."

"Thank you. I'll have to ask you all to keep quiet. Don't worry, this won't take long."

"Isabella."

"Yes? What is it?" 

"Come back. That's an order."

There was a few moments of silence. "Yes, my lord."

You stared down and stepped away from the door. 

"Isabella."

You glanced at Sebastian, who had a knowing look in his eyes. "Are you prepared for the consequences of this? Lucifer is not a being to be trifled with. He won't be pleased of you killing two of his servants."

His eyes widened when you started laughing. You looked up at him with amused eyes and a smile.

"Oh, it'll definately be worth the torture. I cannot wait to get my hands on her. Her screams will be music to my ears." You bit your lip as a smile formed. "Everything she did to me...the way she grinned at the sounds of my pain...I want to know what made her so happy."

"You want to torture her?"

You stared at him as you removed the gloves from your hands. Once you removed it from your left hand, you grasped onto the red ring upon the pointer finger. Your smile slightly wavered as you slid it off your finger and held it up. His eyes moved to your hand when you covered your left eye, and showed the contract mark no longer lighting up.

You slipped the ring into your glove and placed the gloves in your pocket, before looking up at him. "No."

You walked closer to him to where your breasts were up against his chest and you stared up in his eyes and grinned. 

"I want to break her."

. . .

Azah groaned as she picked her nails with her sharp blade. "I'm bored."

Silence.

She rolled her eyes and looked over at Luesir. "Hello!"

He sighed as he turned his gaze away from the manor to her. "What?"

"I said I'm bored! These humans are sooo boring." She twirled her staff and it converted back into a small stick that she tucked in her pocket, then jumped across to rest her chin on his shoulder. "Hey, Loser. Entertain me."

He only flicked her in the forehead, which made her trip and fall to the ground.

"Hey! I oughta rip out your throat!"

He ignored her and crossed his arms as he focused back on the manor.

"Loser! I'm talking to you!"

"The more you scream, the more I'm going to ignore you. You might wanna shut up, you may just give us away."

"Screw you!"

He perked up when he saw movement by a window. A grin spread when he saw it was you entering your room. 

You shut the door behind you and once you caught him staring, you smirked and began to unbutton your shirt.

His eyes widened when you dropped your shirt on the bed and unzipped your skirt, which then fell to the ground. His nails dug into the bark of the tree as he saw the half naked you walk into the bathroom. He slightly growled in frustration when you disappeared from his view.

"Hey! Pervert!"

He looked down when she tapped her nails against the tree and watched with a smirk. "The house is quiet. And I have an idea."

. . .

Luesir had an excited smile on his face as he walked down the hall. He was more than joyed to see you, while Azah wanted to take care of the brat herself.

He hadn't even realized he was humming the song, but he was. That's how happy he was.

He stopped when he heard someone gasp. As he spun around, he didn't sense anything, and continued walking, passing by the broom closet and scraping his nails against it as he did.

He slowed his steps once he reached your room. He cracked his knuckle and slowly entered. The first thing he noticed was your clothes laid out on the bed, then the sound of water splashing inside the bathroom.

He licked his lips just by the thought of seeing you in such a vulnerable state. And he was more than ready to take in the sight of all of you. Without waiting another second, he kicked the door open. The room was pitch black, and lit up by several candles.

He smirked. "My, did you do all this for me?" He turned when the door shut and there was sounds of splashing, along with humming.

"Oh, my dear. You don't know how long I have waited for this, Felis." He inhaled and rubbed the back of his neck as he walked closer to the tub and the splashing sounds.

"I don't know about that."

His eyes widened when another candle ignited and Sebastian's face came into view. Sebastian smirked. "I've had to wait quite a while as well."

He looked at the tub to find it empty with no sign of you anywhere. He looked back at Sebastian with a frown. "Where is she?"

"You shouldn't worry about Isabella. I think you should worry about you."

"Don't call her that!"

Sebastian rose an eyebrow at his outburst. "By her name? Well, what do you know her by?"

"Her name is not Isabella. Her name is Felis."

"And why is that? Because it's Latin for cat? You probably don't even know what her true name is, considering you know her by a slave name."

Luesir gave a humorless laugh. "You're him, aren't you? You're that butler she works with."

Sebastian smiled. "No. You see I am simply one hell of a butler."

. . .

The door to Ciel's study creaked open as the sound of light footsteps traveled inside.

Azah looked around in distaste. "After all this time, they could at least get some new wallpaper. What a bore."

A chuckle erupted in the room as the door slammed shut.

Azah whipped around to the door and squinted her eyes.

"Yes, that's what I keep telling my master, but he prefers every detail to be exact as before."

She smiled. "Felis! You gave me a surprise, I thought it was that little brat for a second."

She walked to you with open arms, but only received a punch to the face, which sent her flying across the room to face plant into the floor.

She spit out some blood and smiled as she sat up. "You know, I liked you better when you kept your mouth shut and sat obediently beside your king with your chains and iron collar to keep you in your place."

"And I like you better when you stop talking and are elsewhere. Funny how that works." You said this as you removed your coat and folded it on Ciel's desk.

"Come on, Felis. We don't have to do this. Just come back with us, and we'll be sisters again."

You scoffed. "We were never sisters, Azah. And you threatened my master. That is unforgivable."

She came up behind you and grabbed your ponytail, then proceeded to smash your head multiple times against the desk. She stopped once you weren't moving.

"Your master? You're delirious, Felis. Your master is already dead."

Your nails scratched against the desk and you threw your head back, which slammed into her nose and made her fly back.

"Say what you will. But my master is very much alive, and I live only for him."

She sneered and ran towards you at a fast speed, but you jumped, back flipped, landed behind her and kicked her square in the back of the head.

She landed flat on the floor with your foot still buried in her hair. You unbuttoned the waist coat around your chest and placed it beside her, then let your hair down and stared down at her as her face was to the wall.

"Let's have a little chat."

. . .

Ciel huffed as he placed down a king, which he paired with his other two and turned them over.

Bard scratched his chin as he looked at his cards. "Uh...Finny, what ya got?"

Finny looked around nervously. "Well, none." He sighed as he held up his last card that didn't match with any of his cards.

Mey-Rin giggled. "Oh my, looks like Finny's the old maid!"

"Wha-"

*crash*

They all stood up after something slammed against the door.

"Oh! I wonder what that was-" Ciel covered Finny's mouth.

"You think you deserve a mate as perfect as that? Ha! You ain't even worthy of my time, crow."

Another slam was heard, but louder as the walls shook. "As if your time is something worth having. Not only do you trespass here, but you harass a servant of this household and believe she would want a thing as low on the food chain as you?"

"Ho ho ho"

Ciel's eye widened. "It's Sebastian."

. . .

A scream filled the room when you stabbed the letter opener from Ciel's desk into her back.

"Tell me Azah...what is your real purpose here?"

She hissed and looked back at you with slitted eyes. "What do you mean, Felisss?"

You glanced at her when her tongue whipped out on the 'S' and it resembled one of a Cobra.

"Oh my, it looks like your serpent side is coming out. Isn't that forbidden in the mortal world?"

Her jaw widened twice the size it normally should and sharp fangs retracted out.

"Hmm, you still haven't answered my question. Come now Azah, why would you drag Luesir all the way here and stay as long as you have, even be bold enough to enter this household and threaten the meal of another demon?"

You walked over and pressed your palm against the end of the opener, which made her hiss through clenched teeth. "Only a fool would do something like that." You tapped the end twice. "Unless..." You shoved it deeper into her back, making her groan.

You pulled the blade out of her and leaned down to her face. "You have other intentions here.

She raised her chin up and flashed you her fangs. "You can't hide from him forever, Felisss."

Your lips twitched into a frown. "Wrong answer." You slammed the blade back into her back, making her screech.

. . .

Sebastian wiped the blood off his face with the exposed skin of his wrist. "If it's not too much to ask, I prefer not to ruin my clothes. It's a hassle enough trying to keep the manor clean."

A grunt came from the hole in the wall as a large tail sweeped under Sebastian's feet, which momentarily threw him against the wall.

Sebastian stood up as Luesir walked in with his red armored tail and it's stinger swinging behind him. "I'll ask you again, crow."

His stinger swung and stabbed Sebastian in the shoulder. "Where is my Felis? Tell me now and I won't harm that small brat you call a master."

He chuckled and smirked. "Your Felis? I think you mean my Isabella." He grasped the stinger and twisted it, making Luesir screech. 

Luesir growled and kicked him through the wall, making Sebastian slide on the floor and lay upright on the wall. His fingers curled as blood poured from his shoulder, making him frown.

"Sebastian!!"

He froze when Ciel ran out of the closet and locked the servants in, but when he turned and saw Luesir, his face fell.

Sebastian quickly stood, but Luesir already noticed him and wrapped his tail around Ciel's waist. "You must be crow's master and the reason Felis is still here."

Ciel struggled to get out of his grasp. "Release me now!"

"Shut it, human." He looked at Sebastian. "You will tell me where she is or I will devour your master."

Both Sebastian's and Ciel's eyes widened. 

Ciel desperatelty looked at him. "Sebastian, keep your mouth Shut! Don't tell him anything!"

"Tick- tock, crow. Where is she?"

"Shut up! You won't go near her-"

"You expected her in her room, yes?"

They both looked at Sebastian as he walked forward. "And where is it your partner expected my master to be?"

Luesir smirked. "His study, of course." He dropped Ciel to the floor. "Good choice."

As he walked away, Sebastian watched, even when Ciel slapped him.

"You are an idiot!"

. . .

You glanced up when the door opened and a tail swung in, which knocked you to the ground. You flipped yourself on your feet, but once you did, his stinger ran through your stomach.

Your eyes widened as you fell to the floor.

Azah's head shot up and she grinned. "Lossser! Took you long enough. Did you take care of the butler?"

Luesir pulled the blade from her back and she grunted as she sat up.

"For now. We don't have long, now grab her and let's go." 

She stood up and chuckled as her eyes turned back to normal. "Yeah, right. Like I'm gonna carry her." She turned and walked out of the room. "Let's go."

. . .

"I can't wait to get out of this dump."

"Well hurry up! Before that butler comes, we need to be gone!"

Butler?

Your eyes opened and you were met with the marble floor. The polished floor...that would be the ballroom. But it wasn't your feet that were moving.

You turned your head and saw the back of another. With red hair. Your nails dug into your palm in anger.

Damn! Sebastian, you were supposed to end him!

You caught sight of his armored tail and the stinger...that was covered in blood.

That stinger...it pacts a nasty poison. Especially if it's used on the owner.

In a flash, you wrapped your legs around Luesir's throat, flipped him around and grabbed his stinger which you then pointed at his chest.

His eyes were wide while Azah looked back at the noise. "Ah, you're awake. Good, we might make it out of here faster."

You pushed the tip of his stinger to his chest, earning a wince from him. "Where is Sebastian?"

He clenched his teeth. "Your first worry is him? I thought it would be that brat."

"I worry not for his safety, as long as he has his butler. Now, where is Sebastian?"

Your eyes narrowed, right before your they went wide. You glanced down and saw the tip of Azah's double bladed staff. It was through your chest.

"I didn't want to do this, Felis. But you leave me with no other choice." The blade was yanked out and you collapsed to the floor.

It...it hurts...

You looked up at her. "What...is this?"

She stared down as she opened the staff, and revealed a red liquid inside. "Blood of the dead human."

Your breath hitched as you rolled over and crawled to her feet.

No. It can't be!

She scoffed. "Look at you. You've grown weak, Felis. You cared for that pitiful human, and now look at you. You're a disappointment. I'll never understand why he chose you."

You pushed yourself up and balanced yourself on your hands and knees. "Why did you come?"

She roughly grabbed your chin and made you look up. "He can't live without you, Felis. We will bring you back, no matter how much blood we will spill to make it happen." She kicked you in your stomach, which made you arch your back and bow to her.

"We could be sisters again. You're just like your pathetic human mother. Crawling to your death. What a waste." She rose her blade again, but stopped when her ears perked up.

"That's no way to treat a lady."

The blade was grabbed from the top, and ran through her heart. Her eyes widened, blood poured from her mouth and her eyes rolled back as she fell. 

When she did, it revealed Sebastian standing behind her. He knelt down to you in concern. He picked up your head, and once he saw you choking on your own blood, his jaw ticked.

Your eyes lazily looked up at him. "W- where is C- Ciel?"

He stroke your cheek. "He's safe. Come, let's get you out of here. You need to feed."

Once he reached out to pick you up, a growl echoed in the room.

"Get your hands off of her!"

He was again, stabbed in the shoulder and pinned down by the stinger as Luesir stood up and towered over him. His stinger pulled out and in multiple times of his chest and shoulder, with him grinning in a sadistic way.

You narrowed your eyes and you felt something build up as you watched it.

"Prohibere"

(Stop)

He stopped instantly. You used what strength you had left to sit up. "Esse sapientes et relinquere nunc."

(Be wise and leave now)

He frowned. "Imus nihil" 

(We don't leave)

He turned to look back at you. "....sine reginae" (Without our queen)

You rose your gaze to him and managed to wobbily stand up. "Tu audis ut mihi." (You will listen to me)

A smirk pulled at your lips. "Vel Vos responsum ad eum."

(Or you answer to him)

His body tensed as he looked to the side and contemplated his actions. 

After moments of silence, he pulled the stinger from Sebastian's chest and knelt down to pick up Azah. He threw her over his shoulder and glanced at you.

"This is far from over, Felis."

You nodded. "I'm well aware."

He grunted, and without another word, he walked out of the ballroom, and his tail folded back, disappearing from view as he did.

You exhaled and dropped to the floor, and kept your gaze down as Sebastian stood up and walked over to you.

"Isabella..."

You lightly shook your head. "I feel so weak." You nearly fell to the side, but instead fell into his arms. You looked up at him. "You make me feel so...weak."

His brows furrowed, and that was the last thing you saw before your eyes closed.

. . .

You awoke with a gasp. And you were greeted with a ceiling. But it wasn't your ceiling. You glanced around, and it was a bedroom. You were on a bed. And it was in the manor, but this room - it was foreign to you.

"I see you've awaken."

You sat up and stared at the person leaning on the wall in the corner of the room. "How long?"

"The young master retired over an hour ago, the servants as well. They were worried for you. And as was I."

You quirked an eyebrow. "You? Worried? Don't make me laugh." You moved to sit up, but your midsection pulsated, which made you stop.

"You shouldn't move yet. That weapon of hers injected quite an amount of blood into you. You should feed to get back your strength."

You sighed. "Perhaps. In a little while, I'll search for something."

"No." 

You looked up when he moved over and crouched down to you. "You need to feed. Now." He removed his gloves and pulled back his sleeve, then held out his wrist to you.

"That isn't necessary."

"Isabella." His voice was serious. "Feed."

Fine, if you insist.

You grabbed his wrist, retracted your fangs, brought your mouth to him and sunk your teeth in. Once his blood streamed down your throat, your lips wrapped around his flesh.

"My...you taste so delectable."

He chuckled as you sat on your knees, then stood up, along with him, and you couldn't control your hunger. You grabbed his coat and pushed back against the wall, continuing to feast on him. Once you were satisfied, you removed your fangs and licked the remaining blood off his wrist and hummed in approval.

You looked up, and that's when you noticed his arm around your waist. 

"Sebastian - "

Once you said his name, it was his turn to loose control. He spun you around, so you were the one up against the wall. Your eyes were wide, but...you kind of liked it.

Because he was so close, it was as if you were seeing him for the first time. He was beautiful.

You flattened your hands on the wall, afraid you would do something you might regret.

He leaned in closer and closed his lids. "Isabella..."

You breathed out when he said your name, and his naked hands traveled down from your waist.

Your hands twitched. Your nails began digging into the wall due to your restraint. You had an uncontrollable urge, an itch to run your fingers through his silky Raven black hair. You wanted to pull him and hold him so close and tightly, just to have the feel of his body up against yours.

You resisted closing your eyes as his fingers lightly touched your skin, leaving a tingling trail as he slowly moved down your leg. It wasn't rough or forceful as demons are. No, it was soft like cotton kisses.

You could feel his warm breath tingle on your lips. If only you inched just a bit closer, you could get a taste of his sugary sweet lips.

But it was the emotion held in his crimson eyes that made you melt. They held a want. A need. A lustful desire. He was lusting...for you.

It was then that you realized what was happening. You were lusting for him as well.

No, it was worse than that. You never want his touch to fade. You wanted to only feel him on your body. You wanted to be the only one his fingers felt, the only one he lusted for. 

And if anyone ever touched him, if anyone even thought about touching him or hurting him...you didn't care if he would heal—you didn't care if you despised the very taste of a human soul——you would devour every last drop of theirs and make them feel how cruel and monstrous you could be.

You were having feelings for this demon. You were thinking like a human.

But, you weren't humans. You were demons. 

You make deals with humans and obtain their souls to feed on. You find a species member of the opposite sex and you mark them as yours. You mate, you breed, and the demon you mark is the only one you choose to keep you satisfied. A human would be useless, due to a demon's extreme aggression, once they reach extreme satisfaction, the human would instantly die. And if you were to loose that mate, you find another.

That is how you survived.

There are no emotions.

There are no desires.

There are no feelings involved.

But...

As he wrapped his other arm around your waist and made you arch your back into him, your lips now barely grazing his, you had only one thought on your mind...

Who the hell cares?

You leaned forward and bit his bottom lip. His eyes widened, but he didn't object, and wasted no time in slamming his lips on yours. The force was so hard, it knocked your head against the wall, but you didn't care.

Your nails ran through his locks and damn, it felt so good. His hands went to your skirt, and unlike the dream, he didn't bother sliding it down, no - instead, he just ripped it off your legs.

Your hands went to his tailcoat and you tore it off his arms, not bothering to unbutton it. He used one hand to pull down your blouse and tear off the buttons, then throw it on the ground. Oh well, they were covered in blood anyways.

As he did this, he used his other hand to reach under and in between your legs, picked you up and turned to throw you down on the bed. Your stockings were already full of holes, so it didn't take much to rip the rest off.

You weren't even aware this was happening, because his tongue was making your senses blind to everything else. Now, you understood why Grell got excited over the fact he could tie a cherry stem in a knot with it.

That all consuming kiss that truly made you feel something in your demonic heart. When your lips finally touched, it was electric. Cosmic. Mmm, you felt it everywhere. They stirred your emotions, your heart, what was left of your soul. The kiss was truly everything...all consuming, earth shattering, epic! It was in that moment you knew... you had finally found your mate.

"What is it you want, Sebastian?" You breathed out.

He kept his mouth on yours, but detached his lips enough to look at you with his demonic eyes. "I want to kiss you, I want you to never get the taste of me out of your mouth. Isabella, love me without fear. Trust me without questioning. Need me without demanding. Want me without  restrictions. Accept me without change. I will worship and love you for what and who you are."

You moaned when his hand moved down and tore off the laces of your corset, while his other hand moved near the crack separating your thighs.

"What is it you want, Isabella?"

Your lids opened to reveal your demonic orbs. "All I want is the taste your lips allow. I want to belong to you, and I want you to belong to me. I want you to stay by my side for all eternity. I want to be held in your embrace until the end of time." Your nails scratched lines into the sheets as he licked up the flames his touch left on your body . "Sebastian, I want you in the worst way...your taste, scent, and feel of your body against mine...I want it all tonight."

He chuckled, which sent vibrations through your near naked body, based at your stomach that was now healed. "Yes, my kitten."

You were really hoping everone was asleep, or it would be an awkward conversation you would have with Ciel.

Throughout the rest of the night, you were helpless, you could only cling to the soft fabric of what was left of the bed sheet.


	33. Meeting The Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isabella and Vincent take a visit to a woman they desperately need support from.

Vincent was nervously gripping the cloth of his pants.  
  
You glanced at him and rolled your eyes. "Master, there's no reason to be nervous. It will only be a few minutes, and you're used to attending this since you were a child, yes?"  
  
He narrowed his eyes and looked at you. "I usually waited in the carriage."  
  
A smirk twitched at your lips. "Don't worry, I'll be right there with you. Do you want me to hold your hand as well?"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
You chuckled. "Do you want to gain her support or not?"  
  
His jaw ticked. "I have no choice. I need it."  
  
You rose an eyebrow. "Then show it. I imagine she's a woman that likes to hear a man beg."  
  
"You want me to beg?"  
  
"If it was I you came to, of course I would make you beg. In this case, you have to perform as expected."  
  
He furrowed his brows. "Perform?"  
  
You frowned and gave him a serious look. "You're a Lord. Act like it."

He looked at you in offense.  
  
You shrugged. "You did perfectly when you visited Lord Jefferies. How is this situation any different?"  
  
He sighed and looked out the window.  Then, he looked back at you curiously. "Isabella"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"While we're on the subject, what happened to Lord Jeffries? He was your master, wasn't he?"  
  
You glanced to the side.  
  
_Flashback..._  
  
_Jeffries laughed as he shook hands with the man that had his arm around his daughter's waist. "I knew you were the right man for my little Cece."_  
  
_She giggled as she kissed his cheek and they walked away. Jeffries smirked with a cigar to his lips as he turned away. He jumped when you were standing in front of him._  
  
_His eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?!" He grabbed your arm and began to drag you away. "I didn't tell you to come here!" He looked back and scoffed at the outfit you wore that was another maid's uniform._  
  
_"Why the hell are you wearing that? That's not your uniform!"_  
  
_He stopped once he noticed the men and women had stopped dancing. They appeared to be in a frozen state. He turned back to you and it was then he noticed you were different. Your hair wasn't golden blonde or curly anymore, it was black and straight. And your face didn't look as innocent as before._  
  
_"Eliza?"_  
  
_You smiled in amusement. "Not anymore. My name is Isabella Brieris, head maid to the Phantomhive manor."_  
  
_His eyes widened. "Phantomhive?!"_  
  
_You grasped the hand over your arm and he gasped in pain when you crushed it in your fist. "Agh! Stop! We had a deal!"_  
  
_"The contract is finished, my Lord." When you twisted his bone, he screamed and collapsed_  
 _to the floor. He looked up at you in fear._  
  
_You smirked. "You finished your goal. Cecilia will marry her fiancé and your legacy will live on." Your smirk stretched. "Don't worry, the Jeffries family will make plenty amount of money with him as the new head."_  
  
_"No, no!" Your eyes glowed pink as you leaned down, and with a grin, your clawed hands reached for his chest. "No!!!"_  
  
You glanced back at him. "His contract was up."  
**. . .**  
  
He let out a breath as you both walked down the hallway. His face relaxed and he managed a neutral look, but inside, he was screaming.  
  
You trailed an amount of distance behind him and looked at the men dressed in red who kept their eyes on you. Most likely, their stare was meant to be intimidating.  
  
"Lord Phantomhive"  
  
You stopped as Vincent held out his hand to the man in front of him. You rose your eyebrows at the white man. His white hair, white clothes, white gloves, white shoes. It was a little odd.  
  
"My name is Ash Landers, I'm the personal butler of her majesty." He smiled as he shook Vincent's hand. He glanced back at you and slightly froze, but he looked back at Vincent with a small smile. "She's been expecting you. Please." He turned and as Vincent began to follow, your hand on his arm stopped him.  
  
"Hold on...something smells." You stared at Ash as he kept walking and Vincent looked at you with furrowed brows.  
  
"What do you mean? I'm sure he took a bath, it would be improper if he didn't."  
  
You gave him a look. "Just be cautious." You released his arm and began walking ahead of him, but then his hand grabbed your arm.  
  
"Fine, but you need to know your place."  
  
You rose an eyebrow. "And what's that supposed to mean?"  
  
He frowned and gave you a serious look. "You're a maid. Act like it."  
  
You scoffed. "I know how to do my job."  
  
"If you have any manners, now would be a good time to start using them. I'm your master and your my servant, you will show me respect and like it. I don't care if you don't, pretend you do. Just smile and act as they expect you too. Believe me, it's not hard at all."  
  
Your lips twitched and you broke out into a smile, and even fluttered your eyes for effect. He hummed and walked ahead. You looked down at your hands and folded them in front of you before walking after him.  
  
Ash opened large white double doors and moved aside with a bow. Vincent walked in and you looked at Ash one more time, before following.  
  
"Her majesty will be with you shortly. Please, we ask for your patience."  
  
Vincent smiled. "Of course. Take all the time she needs."  
  
Ash bowed his head and shut the doors. Once he did, Vincent fell back on the couch with a sigh.  
  
He looked at you and realized you were frowning. "What?"  
  
"You-" ***Ahem*** "Sir, you shouldn't come out of character. It looks improper to simply lay around."  
  
He looked up. "It's fine, don't worry."  
  
Your eyebrow twitched as he loosened his tie and slouched.  
  
You couldn't help it, and walked around to grab his shoulders and make him sit straight.  
  
"What are you-"  
  
"Shh" You tightened his tie, but as you felt the material, it felt cheap and thin. You glared at him and held it up. "What is this?"  
  
"A tie."  
  
"You could've fooled me. The material and make of it is hopelessly cheap."  
  
"We're broke, what do you expect?"  
  
Your eyes narrowed. "I expect a master to care about how he presents himself." You twisted it and his eyes widened when you ripped the tie from his neck.  
  
You sighed when you saw his reaction and shoved it in your pocket. "You'll get another one. A lot more, and of the best quality." You grabbed his hands and folded them, then moved his leg over the other and placed his hands on top. "There, it'll do for now."  
  
You stood behind the couch and folded your hands respectively while he stared at you in disbelief.  
  
"Did you just rip my tie off?"  
  
***Knock* *Knock***  
  
He looked forward when the door opened and Ash walked in. He bowed his head as the woman behind him entered. Vincent stood and bowed his head to her. She only nodded and walked over to sit in the chair across from him. Once she did, she smiled.  
  
"Lord Phantomhive, you wished to speak with me?"  
  
He nodded his head and sighed. "Your majesty, I know my family may be a faint memory to you, but we have done so much for you, and I hope you are willing to accept me as the head of my family."  
  
She stared at him and let out a small laugh. "Vincent, I have never forgotten the Phantomhive family."  
  
He looked at her in surprise. "Y-you haven't? We've been struggling since my father passed, I thought you just had better, more important things to attend to."  
  
She nodded. "I did, but that isn't why I haven't contacted you. Vincent, I can't support a family without a head. You were only a child, I had to wait until I was sure you were ready to take on a responsibility like that. You were just a young boy."  
  
His eyes were wide, and you glanced down when you saw his fists clench. "And now? I assumed that role over a week ago."  
  
She kept her head down, then looked up. "That's right! It was your birthday." She snapped her fingers. "Ash."  
  
He appeared right next to her and bowed. "Yes, your majesty?" She motioned down and he leaned down. She whispered something in his ear. Once he stood up, he left the room and she looked back at Vincent with a smile.  
  
Her eyes trailed over to you where you stood and she extended a hand. "I'm sorry, who are you, young lady?"  
  
Your eyes slightly widened, and you looked at Vincent, who nodded his head at her, and you walked over to bow. "Your majesty. Isabella Brieris, head maid of the Phantomhive manor."  
  
She smiled as she shook your hand. "You have a very lovely name, Isabella. I've never seen you before, are you a new servant?"  
  
You nodded. And it was then, the door opened and Ash walked back in and he held out a box to Vincent. "My Lord"  
  
Vincent glanced at it with furrowed eyebrows, but the queen ushered him to open it, and once he pulled the red ribbon off and opened it, there was a ring with a sapphire blue diamond in the center. He picked it up and looked at the Phantomhive family crest in the band.  
  
"That was your father's. I had it cleaned up for you. Your mother sent it to me. I'm very sorry for her loss." He looked at her with a loss of words, but she only laughed. "It's yours now, Lord Phantomhive."  
  
She looked at Ash again. "Ash?" He pulled out a file from behind his back and handed it to her. She grabbed it and opened it to a report and several pictures of dead women and children.  
  
"There have been several bodies turning up behind the of shoe factory in London, some with missing limbs, and the women all had tattered clothing, along with reason to assume sexual assault." She lowered her head in sadness. "Unfortunately, every time we attempt to prevent another act, twice the number of the original show up. We already have sufficient evidence to target the culprit."  
  
She turned the page and held up a picture of a man wearing white with black hair and violet eyes. "His name is Maxwell Chamber, mostly know as his title "Viscount of Druitt". He hosts balls at his mansion and we have reasons to believe he hosts secret black market auctions. We need you to confirm our suspicions, and when they are...take him down."  
  
Vincent looked at her in surprise. "Take him down?"  
  
"Yes. Vincent, if you do this, I will know you are ready." She rose up and faced him. "Ash will assist you with anything you need. You best start now, before anyone else gets abducted." She walked to the door, and stopped. "I put my trust in you. My Guard Dog."  
  
His eyes stayed on the door, even after she left. "Master" He looked at you as you smirked. "Shall we depart, sir?"  
  
He cleared his throat. "Uh, yes."  
  
You chuckled as you followed him out and shut the door behind you.


	34. His Maid, Offering: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I should warn you. Today's chapter includes moments you may not want to read in mixed company. It could make for a bit of awkwardness in the drawing room. If this should happen, a coughing fit can be very effective. Really. I highly recommend it.
> 
> Ahem. 
> 
> Next Time on Black Maid: "His Maid, Offering"
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

Mey-Rin sighed and casted her head down. Bard turned and frowned.  
  
"Hey, you alright?"  
  
She turned around. "Oh, yeah. I just hope Isabella's okay."  
  
"Yeah." Finny sighed as he rested his head on the table. "We haven't heard anything yet. She was injured when Sebastian carried her in. It was so nice of him to volunteer watching over her in his room."  
  
Bard scratched his neck. "Yeah, she was in pretty bad shape. But I'm sure Sebastian will make her feel better."  
  
 **. . .**  
  
You grunted as he slammed you up against the window, and your skin tore a bit from the broken glass because the only thing you had on was your ring.  
  
Your nails scratched at his back, breaking the skin as a bit of blood came out.  
  
When the door closed every pretense fell. The façade you showed the world melted away and all you wanted was to take in everything the other had. Every kiss had a raw intensity - breathing fast, heart rates faster. Then before you knew how it happened, you were naked and your skin was moving roughly together.   
  
You felt his hand enter from below moving fast, your tongues entwined in a kiss, and then he was inside, changing your breathing with every thrust, hearing your moans timed to his body.   
  
**. . .  
**  
Mey-Rin shook her head. "I'm not sure even Sebastian can lift her spirits. Poor Isabella, she must feel awful."  
  
Finny lifted his head up.  "She was completely out of it when we saw her. I wish there was something we could do." He smiled. "But I think Sebastian will get a feel of her and work his magic to make her better."  
  
 **. . .  
**  
All at once, he stopped and kissed from your exposed breasts to your stomach, his hands light; then he was licking and using his fingers all at once, watching your reaction, feeling how your legs moved, watching your body writhe.   
  
"It's satisfying after all this time to see your face of pleasure, and hear your wonderful noises. You have tortured me long enough, and now it's my turn, my kitten. I won't continue until I hear you beg, and I will make you beg."  
  
You just let out a moan, unable to articulate a response. In seconds, he was on you again, thrusting in you harder, just long enough to intoxicate your mind before stopping again.   
  
_'If it's begging he wants, he's gonna have to stop long enough for my brain to start working again first...'_  
  
 **. . .  
**  
"I wouldn't worry."  
  
They looked back at Ciel who stared out the window. "Isabella is reliable. She tends to bounce back fast, she just needs time."  
  
He stood from his chair and walked towards the door. "Unfortunately, it's not something I have."  
  
 ***boom***  
  
The entire manor shook. The servants stood up.  
  
"Oh dear! Were not being attacked again, are we?"  
  
Ciel didn't wait to respond, and ran out of the room into the hallway.   
  
After a few moments, Sebastian's door opened and he walked out. His hair was messy, his clothes were still perfectly fashioned, but he had a huge smile on his face.  
  
"Oh, good morning. I do hope we didn't wake you."  
  
Ciel rose an eyebrow. "We?"  
  
The door opened wider and you walked out, in the same state as Sebastian, but you had a slightly dazed look.  
  
"Apologies, master. Sebastian was...aiding me in helping me feel better."  
  
He crossed his arms. "Hmph, I'm sure he was."  
  
The servants were red, but Ciel didn't notice. "It sounded like animals fighting over their prey. What exactly were you doing?"  
  
"Master." Sebastian attempted to hide the smirk on his face. "The details aren't important, we should be grateful Isabella feels in greater health. You are glad, are you not?"  
  
Ciel's eyebrow twitched. "Yes, of course." He sighed. "We're all very glad, aren't we-" He turned and noticed the servants were gone.   
  
"Oh!" He looked back at you. "I'm terribly sorry, sir. Do forgive me, I haven't even prepared breakfast."  
  
"Don't worry about it. Tanaka managed something simple." He turned around and started walking down the hall.  
  
You bowed your head. "Well, I'm grateful he did." You looked to the side. "But still..."  
  
You jumped when you felt a pinch on your ass. You narrowed your eyes at Sebastian as he walked after him, with a smirk.  
  
"If you frown like that, I'll have no choice but to turn it."  
  
You scoffed, but a smile still found its way on your lips as you went after him. You reached into your pocket and pulled out a small planner to browse.  
  
"Master, your schedule for today. This morning, you have a dance lesson with Mrs. Bright. This afternoon, an appointment with Lord Winslor, an import exporter." You paused as Ciel just walked. "Are you listening to me, my lord?"  
  
He glanced back at you. "I told you, I'm sick of dancing lessons." He looked ahead. "They're not for me."  
  
"Oh, don't be so modest." Sebastian put his hand over his heart. "Your dancing soothes the hearts of those who watch."  
  
Ciel scoffed. "By making them laugh? Is that what you mean?"  
  
You could see a small smirk on his face. "No, I would never say that."  
  
You all stopped once you heard laughter from inside the kitchen. Ciel opened the door and froze.  
  
Ashe laughed as he showed Tanaka his tea cup. "Look, Tanaka. Three upright tea stalks. I think it promises to be an excellent day."  
  
"Ho ho ho"  
  
Ciel's eye widened. "Wait, I know you. Your the Queen's butler!"  
  
He looked over and noticed the three of you. "Greetings, Lord Phantomhive." He stood up from the chair. "I apologize for this embarrassing display."  
  
Sebastian shut the door as Ciel frowned. "Why is the Queen's butler sipping tea at my estate?"  
  
You forced a smile as you stared at Ashe. "So sorry, I thought you were aware of his role, young master. You see, even when the previous head was in place, Ashe has been her personal messenger. His job is to deliver the orders she sends out for you."  
  
He looked at you with furrowed brows. "That's not a job for a butler."  
  
Ashe smiled and bowed his head. "Forgive me, but I beg to differ." He stood with one leg on the chair. "If I couldn't consult a dooms table with those requesting an audience with her majesty and travel here to deliver a simple message, then stop for an elegant tea break, what kind of butler would I be?" He finished by sipping his tea.  
  
Ciel was still frowning. "Yes, well, having a tea break is hardly a duty for a butler."   
  
"Ho ho ho"  
  
Sebastian smiled. "Well, if I may, to what do we owe the pleasure?"  
  
He lowered his tea cup. "Oh, indeed. Outside of Preston, there is a catholic abbey. It was burned down during the reformation. It is no longer in use. A cult practicing the Eastman religion has begun gathering there. We have received word that the occult's leader is in possession of the doomsday books of all it's many followers."  
  
Ciel crossed his arms. "You mean the land registers? Where all livestock and property is recorded? I don't understand. What would he want with that?"  
  
Ashe turned to Ciel. "Oh no. Their doomsday books are quite a bit different than that. They aren't the normal records you're used to. They don't record property. These are the records required when you stand before the Lord in heaven on doomsday. The day of judgement. All your sins and your good works are supposedly recorded there."  
  
Ciel rubbed his head. "I'm growing weary of the occult."  
  
"There have been the most distressing rumors circling. Apparently, their planning a coo against the government. Their activities as of late have made the people of Preston quake with fear." He clapped his hands over his heart. "Her majesty worries. She wants her people safe."  
  
Ciel stared at him suspiciously. "So what? Are you simply asking me to make sure this cult is disbanded?" His eye widened. "Or is it more? Do you want them completely eliminated?"  
  
He looked at him with a smirk. "That decision is yours. We leave the choice up to you."  
  
He rose an eyebrow. "Alright, understood."  
  
 ***bark* *bark***  
  
Your heads turned to Pluto, who banged on the window with an excited look as he stared directly at Ashe.  
  
"Pluto?"  
  
Your gaze traveled over to Ashe, who narrowed his eyes at Pluto. "Arr?" He turned and crawled away from the window with his head down.  
  
Ashe looked at the three of you with a frown. "Who exactly was that?"  
  
Sebastian smirked. "Oh, he's a servant. Nothing more."  
  
Ashe looked back at the window and smirked. "Is that so? He seems an interesting sort of servant."  
  
You stared at him with a glare. 'Not just anyone can tame a demon hound. And Pluto seems to have a habit of liking certain beings...Nonhuman ones'  
  
 **. . .**  
  
Ciel sat back in his chair with a sigh. "So, what's next?"  
  
"According to Ashe, the Abbey is heavily guarded. That is something to consider." Sebastian pointed out while placing the fruit filled cake next to Ciel.  
  
Ciel hummed. "So we can't just waltz in through the front door, then." He looked over at you where you stood gazing at the window. "Isabella."  
  
You looked at him from the corner of your eye. "You don't seem very focused today. Is anything wrong?" He looked at Sebastian and saw an amused look on his face, then coughed and looked down. "Not that I actually care."  
  
You looked back out the window and with a monotone voice, you said "It's nothing of concern, master. Just an old itch that's resurfaced." After a brief moment of silence, you spoke again. "He did mention one more thing. Apparently, a large number of coffins have been delivered there in recent days."  
  
He paused with the spoon to his lips. "Hmph. Coffins, eh?"  
  
 **. . .**  
  
Sebastian opened the door and Ciel stepped in with you trailing behind. "I'm coming in."  
  
To the left, you saw Undertaker's back as he stood over a coffin and he was laughing under his breath. But, you narrowed your eyes by seeing it was definitely **not** Undertaker.  
  
"Welcome, little Lord."  
  
Sebastian shut the door and put his arm around your waist as you continued to narrow your eyes. "Listen up, Undertaker. I have something to ask of you."  
  
"In that case..." He turned and you saw the grin of Grell's sharp teeth. Ciel's eye widened as Grell ran toward Sebastian with open arms. "I demand the very best loving that Bassy has to offer!"  
  
You and Sebastian just walked closer to Ciel, resulting in Grell face planting into the wall. He sat up and groaned as a skull fell on his head from the shelf.  
  
Ciel stepped back. "Wait, Grell?!"  
  
"Hello, my lord."  
  
Ciel turned towards the pot in the room and looked into it, seeing Undertaker buried in salt. "What are you doing there?"  
  
"The bounder told me he wasn't afraid of grim reapers, so I buried him in salt." Grell placed a hand on his hip as he walked next to him.  
  
Undertaker grinned. "Yes, he did. All the moister is being sucked out of my body as we speak. It's a great feeling."  
  
Sebastian used his other hand to pull out a handkerchief and put it over his nose. "An interesting opinion."  
  
Undertaker looked back at you and Sebastian, his sight landing on the arm around your waist and the neutral look you had. He frowned while you smiled. "Unnie, you really should refrain from your activities with guests here."  
  
He kept his frown. "Isabella."  
  
You looked back at Undertaker as he poked a finger out and motioned for you to come over. Sebastian's arm dropped as you walked over and knelt down to him. His gaze was glued on Sebastian. "Why is that butler's arm around your waist?"  
  
You smiled while he turned his head to you. "I warned you this would happen. But nobody listens to the insane old man running a funeral parlor."  
  
You sighed. "Unnie..."  
  
"I don't want to hear it." Your eyes widened at his voice. "You disgrace yourself, giving into him. Your mother would be petrified if she were here."  
  
You frowned. "Don't go there."  
  
"You don't understand the consequences this will have. I can't have you causing trouble, or we'll have a repeat of 1403. The last time you got involved with someone, it was chaotic. I've never had so much business before. Her soul is not at peace because of what you are, Abigail."  
  
Your breath hitched. "Do not ever say that name again. I am not as I once was, times have changed. You should too, Adrian." He scoffed.  
  
"...the grim reaper's cinematic records. Some of them have been stolen."  
  
You both froze and looked back at Grell, who you didn't realize was speaking.  
  
Ciel furrowed his brows. " 'Cinematic records'? What are they?"  
  
Grell waved a hand at him. "Not something a kid needs to worry about."  
  
Sebastian looked at Ciel. "They are reels of film containing all memories of someone's lifetime. Grim reapers extract them from the To-Die list. And they decide where the person goes from there."  
  
Grell flipped his hair. "That's basically it, but you humans can only see them when you die."  
  
You looked back at Grell. "And these records? How exactly is it they were allowed to be stolen?"  
  
"Well, you see...they're stored in the library when we aren't using them. Good and evil. the full past of everyone that is destined to die. All of them are stored there in the form of books."  
  
Ciel hummed. "So you reapers have a group of books written in preparation for doomsday."

You looked down at Undertaker. "Unnie. I know this is something you've heard of before."  
  
He ignored you and only licked the salt he was buried in.   
  
Ciel narrowed his eyes and looked down at him. "Undertaker. If you will, there is something I need your help with."  
  
He deeply laughed. "Well, then. You do know the price for that, don't you?" He looked at you and saw how closely you were once again standing beside Sebastian and quietly scoffed, then glanced at Grell, then looked back at Ciel. "On second thought, I'll do this one for free."  
  
Ciel furrowed his brows while you internally sighed. _'What are you up to, Unnie?'_  
  
 **. . .**  
  
You sat as far as you could from Undertaker, nearly falling off the edge of the roof. He was ignoring you and wouldn't even bother trying to speak with you, so you didn't even try to make amends if he wasn't willing to listen.  
  
"Your in over your head."  
  
You looked at him from the corner of your eyes. "Meow?"  
  
There was a frown on his face. "I won't interfere with you and that butler, no matter how much I don't like it. But your in over your head." He turned his head to look at you. "What your up against - you've come across it before and you've known it for a while now."  
  
You turned and licked over the fur on your arm. "Meow"  
  
"And you know it's there. Where you're going - it's waiting for you." He lowered his head. "I will do everything I can to ensure you stay. I don't want to even think about you going back to that wretched place...and sit obediently beside **him**."  
  
You tilted your head and gave a small smile, before crawling over and jumping on his shoulder. He turned his head when you rubbed your cheek against his. ***Purrrrr*** He giggled and ran his nails down your head while he steered with his other.   
  
You looked back up when he stopped in front of a gate. Undertaker stepped down with you still on his shoulder as a man in robes stood before him. "I'm here to deliver the coffins that you ordered." He smiled with a creepy laugh.  
  
The man looked at him in confusion. "Coffins? Are you certain, sir? I don't believe I've been informed of a delivery like that."  
  
Undertaker scratched his head, then scratched yours and went through his robe. "I have the order right here. My, oh my, where did I put it?" As a number of items fell from his robe, you flicked your tail and looked back as Ciel, Sebastian, and Grell climbed out of the coffin and jumped into the bush beside them.  
  
Undertaker shrugged. "Oh dear, I can't seem to find it." He looked at you and rubbed his chin. "What about you, Isabella? Have you seen it around?"  
  
You contained a smile as the man smiled. "Alright, then. Perhaps you should come inside after all." His smile widened as he looked over at the bush where Sebastian was covering his head with a small tree branch. "Your friends over there are welcome as well."  
  
They stood up out of the bush with frowns, and you let out a small giggle at Sebastian, whose cover was a twig. Undertaker chuckled and climbed back on the carriage as you jumped off and ran to Ciel and Sebastian. "In that case, I'll take my leave then."  
  
Sebastian picked you up and walked behind a tree. As the man waved off Undertaker, Sebastian placed you on the floor and you grunted as you collapsed, skin bubbling and bones transforming.   
  
It wasn't until you were covered in skin again did he slide the maid's outfit back on your body. You stood up, adjusted your shirt collar and slipped your hands into the gloves. He wrapped an arm around you as you both walked out.  
  
 **. . .**  
  
The man led you through the street, and as Sebastian kept his arm subtlety on you, Ciel looked back at you. "Hey, I thought getting in here was supposed to be difficult."   
  
You looked around at the men and women dressed in robes and frowned. "Yes, that's what I thought as well."  
  
As you walked by, two men and a woman stopped to smile and continued walking. Ciel narrowed his eyes. "They certainly know how to smile, don't they?"  
  
Sebastian glanced at him as he and you smiled back. "Perhaps you should learn from them, considering you've forgotten, yourself."  
  
Ciel glared at him. "Don't be stupid. Those smiles were fake, and you know it."  
  
 **. . .**  
  
As you all walked in the church, you stopped and glanced around. 'Somethings not right'   
  
Your sight landed on a girl with white hair that walked by the door. You felt something in you twist and you found yourself walking after her. Sebastian watched you go and smirked to himself.  
  
"Good evening!" He looked over at a pair of children that ran in and stopped in front of Grell.  
  
He grinned and bent down to them. "Well, aren't you just the cutest thing. I really don't do well with kids, though..."  
  
The boy smiled up at him. "Hello there, unclean one! I can see every bit of your impurity!"

Grell frowned. "Say what?!"  
  
The other boy frowned. "Is something wrong, unclean one? Do you feel well?" He gasped when Grell hit him on the head with his fist.  
  
"Ya brat! What right do you have to call me unclean?"  
  
The boy shrieked. "Ah! An unclean one touched me!"  
  
"We need to go and be cleansed!"   
  
The kids screamed and ran out with Grell chasing them.

A young nun walked in after them and giggled, before turning to Ciel and Sebastian. "I'm sorry. After a certain age, everyone's considered unclean."  
  
She looked closely at them. "I see from your clothing...your a new convent? Don't worry, if you study the teachings of our leader, then you too will be cleansed."  
  
Ciel scoffed. "What? How dare you." Sebastian's arm stopped him.   
  
Sebastian smiled and walked closer. "Unclean? What a bizarre thing to say. I can't believe a lady as beautiful as you is impure." Her eyes widened and she backed up as he got closer to where he was trapping her against the wall.   
  
"We really don't know anything about the religion you practice, yet. Perhaps you'll be so kind as to tell us more about yourself."  
  
She looked to the side with her cheeks turning red. "Yes, but then...what are you doing here?"  
  
 ***Slam***  
  
She jumped when his hand slammed inches from her head. He leaned in dangerously close to her face and smirked. "There was a bug." He whispered. He slid his hand off the door and blew the dead bug from his hand.  
  
He smiled as he looked back to her. "Now, you'll tell me everything I need to know, won't you?"  
  
With her cheeks now cherry red, she vigorously nodded. He smirked, but it slightly dropped as he saw you in another room, staring at him with a frown and demonic eyes through a window.


	35. His Maid, Offering: 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotions are a funny thing. There are times when they are out of your reach, it's like they have a mind of their own with a voice commenting it's every action.

Feet pounded against the cobblestone. Shoulders broad, arms stiff, hands twitching from anticipation, and a pair of lips curled into a sneer.  
  
Your eyes were wide and alert as you walked. A feeling was building inside of you. Burning rage hissed through your body like deathly poison, screeching a demanded release in the form of unwanted violence. It was like a volcano erupting; fury sweeping off you like ferocious waves. The wrath consumed, engulfing what remained of your moralities and destroying the boundaries of any ounce of loyalty you had.  
  
Once you saw the flash of white, you stopped. She was standing in the center and she wasn't in any uniform. She was dressed in all white.  
  
She turned and her voice was smooth. "I was wondering when you'd figure it out. When did it finally run through that head of yours?"  
  
You frowned. "It's not important. Let's just say nothing can smell as revolting as you."  
  
There was a hint of the victor in the smile surrounded by her stiff cheeks, not the supple grin of a friend, but the joy of the enemy after the battle is won.  
  
"You seem upset." A sly smile formed. "I did you a favor by cleansing your master and his mistress.  You should be thanking me, demon."  
  
You just stared at her with a darkness in your eyes.   
  
She tilted her head. "Hold on a moment. You seem...different since the last time I saw you."  
  
She hummed in thought, then slightly gasped. "Ah, that's it."  In a quick movement, radiant wings tore from her back and the sharp point of one impaled your shoulder. The force of her strength sent you flying flat against the wall.  
  
You stared down at her, no emotion and completely unmoved by her action.  
  
She scoffed. "You've mated. With another demon. Sebastian Michaelis, I'm guessing?"  
  
She twisted deeper into the muscle of your shoulder, but you only narrowed your eyes.  
  
"You have no business here. You seem angry. Does my sexual relations bother you that much?"  
  
She paused and looked down. A small laugh escaped her. You stared as she let out a full bodied laughter.  
  
"You actually think something like him would care for you, don't you? You truly are blind."  
  
"You're only frustrated because you could have prevented it from ever happening." You smirked. "If you would've successfully purified me, that is."  
  
She let out a snarl and looked up at you. "You-" She froze and her eyes widened at the reflection she saw in the mirror. Her eyes moved to the partially covered window and she chuckled.  
  
"You believe a lie, dear Abigail."  
  
Your fist clenched by hearing that dreadful name again.  
  
"So...let me free you from this lie."  
  
You furrowed your brows, right before she turned, and with her other wing, swiped at the cloth covering the window.  
  
Your breathing stopped as your eyes slightly enlarged. Your lips twitched and a growl escaped. Your eyes narrowed into demonic slits.   
  
Sebastian frowned once he caught sight of you. Yet...he still smiled at the nun and offered her his hand.   
  
Your jaw began to vibrate, teeth chattering in anticipation if he would actually do it.  
  
She blushed and took his hand. As they walked away, his hand slipped around her waist and further down to her ass. He opened a door leading to a secluded room and smiled again as she practically ran inside. He paused and you saw his grip tighten on the door.  
  
Though you couldn't see it, he was having a huge battle. He had a clear conscious of engaging, but something was holding him back. Finally, he walked inside and shut the door.  
  
You let out a strangled noise as you stared in disbelief.  
  
She smiled to herself in satisfaction and pulled the point from your shoulder. You slid to the floor and your eyes stayed glued to the ground as she turned and walked away.  
  
"When the time comes, I'll come for you as well. For now...I have a soul that must be cleansed."  
  
Seconds passed after her footsteps faded away. Slowly, your head rose up. "A soul to be cleansed?"  
 **. . .**  
  
Grell was shaking with anger and he had an itch to kill something with his death scythe.  
  
You watched from afar, leaning against a stone pillar as Grell ranted on about putting the young nun on the To-Die-List. Ciel only stood beside him with his arms crossed, saying something about it being new for seeing Sebastian use this method.  
  
The pillar had pieces falling off by your nails that were scratching through your gloves as you heard her moans of pleasure and the shaking of the building.  
  
 ** _'I've never seen you act this way before. You really have strong feelings towards him, don't you?'_**  
  
Your hand stopped. Your eyes closed with a sigh. "I'm beginning to regret this."  
 ** _  
'It hasn't even been a day yet. Stop worrying.'_**  
  
"I've never wanted to tear through someone's chest so much before. I hate this feeling. Why did I give in? I thought I had more control..."  
 ** _  
'There is no control. You know what you're feeling, right?'_**  
  
You frowned. "Please, don't say it."  
  
 ** _'You are in love. I never thought I'd see it.'_**  
  
"You aren't. Demons don't love, you know that."  
  
 ** _'You saw me fall, now I can see you. Besides...you're not all demon, are you?'_**  
  
You exhaled through your nose. "I blame you for this. It wouldn't have happened if I didn't come back."  
 ** _  
'Hey, I didn't tell you to bite his lip. Thank you for letting me hear that, by the way.'_**  
  
You smirked. "Glad you enjoyed the show." You sighed. "The things I do to please my master."  
  
"Master?"  
  
You looked back and noticed Ciel staring at you curiously, with Grell and...the butler beside him.  
  
You avoided looking at Sebastian. "My Lord. Pardon me, I didn't realize you were there."  
  
"Who were you talking to?"  
  
You tilted your head. "Talking to?" You laughed. "Don't mind me, sir. I was just thinking out loud, that's all."  
 ** _  
'Hm, you always were a good liar.'_**  
  
He looked at you unsurely. "All right, then. Anyways, where were you? You just disappeared."  
  
You smiled. "Don't tell me you were you worried for me, master?"  
  
His cheeks flushed. "N-no! I only asked because I-"  
  
Your smile widened. "Master, it's all right."  
  
He cleared his throat. "Let's move on from that. While you were away, Sebastian gathered some information from one of the nuns."  
  
Your jaw ticked. _Oh yes, I'm well aware of that._  
  
"Apparently, these doomsday books also tell the future. And only certain boys chosen of this 'heavenly choir' will be able to gaze at them, other than the leader and those being judged."  
  
Sebastian looked down at Ciel. "So what would you like us to do, master?"  
  
 _Why? Was the purified nun not satisfying, now you want to do something else?_  
  
You put a finger to your lips. "Well, since only boys are chosen for this 'heavenly choir', it means you're the only one of us who can get us close to this priest, master."  
  
"Rubbish!"  
  
You all looked to the side and frowned once you saw Grell, who managed to squeeze himself into a boy's choir uniform.  
  
He put a hand on his hip and posed. "Just look at this outfit, they'll let me into the choir for sure!"  
  
He wiggled his hips. "Well? How do I look?"  
  
He glanced down at the boy Grell had striked earlier that stood, crying beside him at the sight of his stolen clothes on Grell. "Waah! He's making me impure!"  
  
Ciel sighed in annoyance. "I hate this guy."  
  
He looked up, along with you and Sebastian at the sound of angelic like church singing.  
  
The boy clapped his hands together. "It's the cleansing ceremony, it's starting!"  
  
 _Cleansing?_  
  
 _Flashback...  
  
"When the time comes, I'll come for you as well. For now...I have a soul that needs to be cleansed."  
_  
Your lips curled and your nails dug into your palm as Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "I was right. Something here does smell."  
  
Ciel only glanced at Sebastian, then he rose an eyebrow when he saw your angered face. "What is it, Isabella?"  
  
Grell looked at you curiously as Sebastian looked at you from the corner of his eye.  
  
"It's nothing. An old itch. Just a rotten apple. Dead fruit from a fallen tree."  
 **. . .  
  
 _♪Agnus Dei♪  
  
♪Agnus Dei♪  
_**  
You silently walked in, head held up as you stared at the depiction of Jesus Christ at the center.  
 _  
Staring at this...it brings back unwanted memories. Memories I struggled so hard to forget._  
  
Your right hand began shaking, and you couldn't help but cast your head down.  
  
Sebastian noticed your odd behavior and reached out for your waist, but you quickly turned and walked down the last aisle.  
 _ **  
'Stop that. You're giving me a headache.'**_  
  
You ignored the voice and sat down on the end of the bench. Once you avoided Sebastian, he frowned and made a beeline towards you. That was, before Ciel sat himself beside you.  
  
He looked up at him with a mocking smile, which only made Sebastian narrow his eyes. And he sighed once Grell latched onto his arm and pulled him down to sit beside him and Ciel.  
  
All eyes watched as the priest entered the room and walked up the stairs to the candle lit podium. He stood atop and addressed the crowd.  
  
"Tonight, the unclean will be made pure again. It is time for the cleansing."  
  
A man and woman were uncovered. Their nude bodies were painted with a black symbol on their backs.  
  
You stared intently at the priest as Sebastian glanced at you. His fists opened and closed as he debated whether or not he should just reach over and take you. He's already done it plenty of times last night.  
  
Unfortunately, Ciel was in between you...in multiple ways.  
  
Feeling Grell tighten his grip on his arm made Sebastian look back at the front. Books were placed on the podium in front of the priest.  
  
"I suppose those are cinematic records?"  
  
Grell only leaned into him more. "Hmm, I'm too far away to tell."  
  
 _They are definitely not._  
  
Your brows furrowed in curiosity when he opened the false books. "I shall read the doomsday books of these impure, lost children. First, we have Jill Phesent. Second child to a father, where she conceived a child in sin."  
  
He turned the page. "Then we have Thomas Atkins. He has committed no evil act, per say. But he has spent his life meaninglessly, and that is a grave sin to us."  
  
The man and woman let out screams as their bodies glowed black. You looked around at the audience, who were praying.  
  
Ciel's eye widened at the window above the priest that began to shine golden. "I say! What's happening?"  
  
You narrowed your eyes as it displayed pictures of their so called 'sins'.  
  
The priest rose his arms. "Snuff out the unclean, and the unnecessary, and the unwanted. Snuff them out! All of them!"  
  
The window shattered and the man and woman collapsed to the ground, letting out blood curdling screams once it did.  
  
The light faded away, and what stood was the stain glass window of Jesus Christ.  
  
"Despite what they have done, these people are no longer unclean. Our brother and our sister, now as pure as snow!"  
  
The crowd erupted into a praise of cheer for their leader. The man and woman were covered and led out of the room as they did and you looked down at Ciel.  
  
 **. . .  
**  
"Something's wrong here."  
  
Sebastian looked down at Grell, who rested his arm on the bench. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Those books that the priest had...they were definitely not cinematic records."  
  
Ciel looked at him. "They're not? So that means he doesn't have the power to see the past or the future?"  
  
"Oh! You're still here!"  
  
You turned away as the young nun walked in with two other nuns standing in the doorway behind her.  
  
She smiled. "I'm so excited! The heavens have truly smiled down on you this day!"  
  
You looked at her in confusion when she looked directly at Ciel.  
  
 **. . .**  
  
Once the damned nun dragged Ciel away to prepare for his 'cleansing', you nearly ran out of the room in a attempt to stay far away from Sebastian.  
  
"Isabella"  
  
You continued your fast walk, partially hoping he would catch up to you just so you could claw his face!  
  
"You can't ignore me forever, my kitten. I am your mate, remember?"  
  
Your feet instantly stopped.  
  
White knuckles from clenching your fists too hard, and gritted teeth from effort to remain silent, your hunched form exuded an animosity that was like acid - burning, slicing, potent. Your face was red with suppressed rage, and when Sebastian dared to set his hand on your waist, you swung around and mentally snapped.  
  
Your claws came out and you pinned his tailcoat to the wall.  
  
"Exactly. You are my mate. You know what that means, right? You belong to _me_."  
  
Through clenched teeth, you sneered. "No-one else."  
  
He smiled in amusement. "Isabella-"  
  
"I don't think you understand. Let me make it clearer for you."  
  
You took out your claws and grabbed him by the front cloth of his pants and pulled him closer to where he was caging you and he had to put a hand on the wall to balance himself.  
  
"This is all mine."  
  
He chuckled. "Isabella-"  
  
"The only reason I haven't rid of that little nun is because it would cause controversy and attract unwanted attention. We wouldn't want a repeat of the incident with Lord Scriven, would we?"  
  
His hand pressed more on the wall, making it slightly crack just by the mention of his name.  
  
"Exactly" You breathed out as you pulled him closer and lightly grazed his lips.  
  
"Nothing happened."  
  
Your eyes shot open. "What?"  
  
He smirked as he opened his eyes. "It deeply offends me that you would believe me to commit such an act."  
  
"Don't make me look like a fool, I could hear her moans from a mile away."  
  
"What you were hearing was sounds of relief...from her twisted knots."  
  
You furrowed your brows and slightly pushed him away. "Wait, you mean to tell me you gave her a massage? That's all?"  
  
He smiled. "That's all."  
  
You looked to the side and sighed as you let go of the grip on his pants and went to move away, but he didn't move and only grabbed you by the hem of your skirt.  
  
"You know it's you I want. The only one I'll ever want. I yearn for you. I crave for you. A hunger that is insatiable. A passion that burns hotter than fire. That is how I found you, my mate."  
  
His lips were already on yours as he said this and your tongues were already exploring and conquering each other.  
  
"Stop! I can do it myself!"  
  
He sighed when your attention was pulled to the room right across from you and you walked over to it.  
  
Ciel struggled to get out of the nuns' grasp, who were practically tearing his shirt off.  
  
"Don't worry, we've already been cleansed. We can touch you."  
  
"That isn't my issue!"  
  
You stepped forward. "Pardon me, but we can take it from here."  
  
One of the nuns shook her head as Ciel finally pulled himself out of their reach. "No! You still haven't been cleansed, so you both can't be here!"  
  
You tilted your head as Sebastian walked up and gave a little pout.  
  
"You think we are impure?"  
  
They blushed. "Maybe you're not unclean, after all."  
  
The other shook her head. "No, they aren't!"  
  
Ciel had a look on his face that looked as if he was already done with his life.  
  
 **. . .  
**  
You walked into the wash room, carrying a set of clothes the nuns gave you.  
  
"Your attire for the ceremony, master." You placed them beside Sebastian as he scrubbed Ciel's back.  
  
He froze up and slightly blushed as he tried to cover his nude body, but he could only curl up in the hot water.  
  
"Oh yes, thank you."  
  
You stopped and smiled to yourself. He looked at you in confusion. "What?"  
  
You continued to smile as you stood up. "Oh, it's nothing. You're welcome...Ciel."  
  
His eyes widened as you turned and walked away.  
  
"Isabella"  
  
You stopped. "Yes, sir?"  
  
"What happened to your shoulder?"  
  
You instantly covered the blood spot and kept your head down. "It's nothing of your concern, master."  
  
Your eyes narrowed. "Sir. Even if the doomsday books are fake, I feel they have some sort of power."  
  
His jaw clenched. "There's only one thing I want you to say, and I want to hear it right now."  
  
You smiled and bowed your head. "Indeed. Yes, my young Lord."  
  
 **. . .  
**  
Ciel was led into the altar with a trio of nuns surrounding him.  
  
"Leader, we've brought him."  
  
Once the priest saw him, he turned and lowered his head. "Well done. You may leave us now."

They bowed their heads and left the room, leaving Ciel alone with the priest.  
  
"You look very clean, Ciel. Very good. Come this way." He turned away and walked over to the podium. Ciel came over and stopped beside him.  
  
"Thank you for choosing me. I understand it's quite an honor."  
  
He placed a hand on Ciel's shoulder and placed a hand on the false book. "Very good. Now, there is something I would like to read to you."  
  
"May I ask you - What is a doomsday book, really?"  
  
He ran his hand across the cover. "For our purposes, it is a story I will read you for as long as you want. Tonight's a treat, isn't it?"  
  
Ciel's eye widened.  
  
 _Flashback...  
  
"Isabella said that since tomorrow's my birthday, I can sleep in the same room with mother and father tomorrow night. And mother said she's going to read me as many stories as I want!" He happily informed.   
  
Rachel smiled down at him as she rubbed his head. "I'll tell you what, I'll read to you until you fall asleep. Tonight's a treat, isn't it? It's your birthday!"  
  
She looked over at you standing in the doorway. "It's alright Isabella, I'll keep him company. You can go see Vincent, I promise he won't interrupt you."  
  
You smiled. "Thank you, my Lady. If you'll excuse me."  
_  
He stared in shock as the priest ran his hand over his face.  
  
 _Flashback...  
  
"Well, at least you are alright, Ciel." Vincent said as he ran his hand over Ciel's face, making him giggle.  
_  
His entire form froze up, unable to process what was happening. _That hand...it's his._  
  
"Cleanse yourself."  
  
His eye widened and he pushed the priest away to gaze up at the familiar symbol on the window of the ceiling.  
  
"Cleanse yourself of the sins you've committed. Right here and right now."  
  
He was too busy looking up, and before he could register it, the priest had his hands around his throat.   
  
Ciel clenched his teeth as he stared at the man. _That's right. It can't be! It can't!_  
  
 _Flashback...  
  
"Father!" He shouted, until he suddenly went stiff with his eyes wide and mouth open at the sight of his father, already dead, sitting in a chair with the room surrounded by flames.  
_  
He clenched his teeth and shut his eyes. "This is an order: Kill this man!!"  
  
You smirked from where you were kneeling. "Yes, my young lord."  
  
The window shattered as you, Sebastian, and Grell jumped through it. Once you landed on the ground, you threw one of the shards of glass straight into the forehead of the priest.  
  
One of the other priests ran in and Sebastian threw a shard at his chest. Once he fell, feathers floated to the ground and you glared up at her as Sebastian smirked.  
  
"I thought it was you. Angela."  
  
She smiled down at him as she spread her wings.  
  
Grell's eyes widened as he stared at her, then looked at you. "Um, Izzy, what the hell's an angel doing here?!"  
  
She swooped down and wrapped an wrapped an arm around Ciel. Yours and Sebastian's eyes widened as she flew up with him in her arms.  
  
"Master!"  
  
She took out a book from under her dress, making Grell point at it. "Look! That's a real cinematic record, there!"  
  
Reels of film shot out of the book and wrapped around you and Sebastian. You growled and looked at Grell. "Do something, Grell! Use your death scythe!"  
  
He whined as he struggled to cut the strands that began to surround him. "Give me a second, okay? I'm working on it!"  
  
Sebastian narrowed his eyes at the smaller pair of scissors than before. "What are those sad things?"  
  
He frowned. "Well, what do you want me to do? Will took my other dearth scythe away from me! Oh, how can this get any worse?!"  
  
You rose an eyebrow. "Well, the small pair of scissors in a swiss pocket knife come to mind."  
  
His eyes widened as he let out a whine.  
  
Angela smirked as she moved her lips by Ciel's ear. "I will show all of it to you. All the light and darkness. Every moment from your past."  
  
A large opening of light formed in the window as she flew closer to it. Ciel let out a yell as they disappeared in it.  
  
Your eyes widened as Sebastian narrowed his. "Ciel!"  
  
"Master!"  
  
Grell took every strand in his scissors and snipped them in pieces. The strands fell from your bodies as he jumped in joy.  
  
"I cut it!"  
  
With clenched teeth, you all raced forward. "Here we go."  
  
As the light got smaller, you all ran and jumped into the light. Once you did, it closed up, leaving a window of Jesus Christ.  
  
 **. . .**  
  
"Master!"  
  
You froze once you realized where you were. Grell turned around and gasped. "This is the Grim Reaper library!"  
  
Sebastian also turned and looked up at the large building on a mountain top.  
  
Grell put a hand on his hip. "I don't know if you both are aware, but this is where the cinematic records are housed."  
  
Once he said that, you and Sebastian were already walking towards it.  
  
As you glanced around, everything felt so familiar. You've only been here twice, but still, it felt surreal.  
  
Once you reached the main doors, you opened one of them. As soon as you did, a familiar long set of shears flew by your face, aiming towards Sebastian who moved, instead nearly hitting Grell.  
  
Will sighed. "Oh, Isabella. As I suspected, it is you." He adjusted his glasses, his sight landing on Sebastian. "I thought I smelled a rat."  
  
Grell ran inside. "Will!"  
  
Will narrowed his eyes. "To think a demon would have the nerve to set foot in here."  
  
You rose your eyebrows. "Will, I'm offended."  
  
He scoffed. "We've been over this, you don't classify as a demon. You shouldn't even be associated with his kind."  
  
Grell held up his hands. "Wait, hold on, Will. I'm looking for the doomsday books like you ordered!"  
  
He closed his eyes in disappointment. "What a shame. A Grim Reaper. And you invited this filth into our territory?" He looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You're a disgrace. Are you actually trying to demote yourself even further?"  
  
Grell gasped as he snipped his small scissors. "What will you do to me now?"  
  
You cleared your throat and he looked at you. "Again, the pair on a Swiss pocket knife come to mind."  
  
He looked down at his death scythe sadly.  
  
"You call me an invading rat."  
  
You both looked at Sebastian, who was frowning at Will. "But I do believe you have another infestation you need to be worrying about."  
  
Will's eyes widened, before he narrowed them and looked to the side. "The angel."  
  
You nodded. "Yes, that's right."  
  
He sighed and adjusted his glasses again. "Excellent. Looks like I'll have more overtime tonight."


	36. His Maid, Transmitting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Master. You must do your best not to look into the past. I know it's call is sweet and it's lure addicting. To avoid it is to avoid a part of yourself that you feel you are missing. But you are fragile, yet. And dipping even one toe into the pool of nostalgia would mean drowning. You must see that.
> 
> Next time on Black Maid: "His Maid, Transmitting"
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

_"Ciel!"  
  
_ Ciel's eyes shot open and he found himself sitting in a chair placed in front of a bookcase of a massive library.  
  
"You're awake."  
  
He narrowed his eyes at the person who sat across from him. "I thought it was you. Angela  
Blanc."  
  
She smiled in amusement. "Did you enjoy the record of your past? Was it wrapped in soft velvet? Or perhaps sand paper on your ski-"  
  
"Shut up! That man's hand. It was his. My father's hand."  
  
She only smiled, making him clench his teeth. "But why? Why did you kill my parents? What  
did you stand to gain?!"  
  
"Killed? What a disturbing thing to say." She closed her eyes. "I'm not the only one that harmed your parents. But you know that, don't you?"  
  
He stood up with wide eyes. "It was your maid. Isabella Brieris. A surprise that she would kill her own master. Some devotion she's shown."  
  
"Shut up! You don't know anything-"  
  
"No. It was you, wasn't it? It was you who gave them their second death."  
  
_Flashback...  
  
He clenched his teeth and shut his eyes. "This is an order: Kill this man!!"  
  
Once you landed on the ground, you threw one of the shards of glass straight into the forehead of the priest.  
_  
She laughed. "You were rather brilliant. In the face of such a distorted past, you somehow managed to remain sane." She stood up from her seat as Ciel glared at her.  
  
"How could you?"  
  
She turned to him. "You are truly an unclean human." She spread her wings and flew over to stand in front of him. "But, underneath all those impurities, there's a glow that would be such a shame to extinguish." She leaned down and grabbed his chin to make him look at her. "Well, Ciel?" She folded her wings over them and smiled. "Shall I alter your unclean past for you? Will that help you find peace at last?"  
  
His eyes widened, but then he pushed her away. "Nice try. The only reason I'm impure is because of you!"  
  
She smirked. "Do you really want to know why I chose your parents to cleanse?"  
  
He froze. She smiled with a hint of evil behind it. "Very well. Let me show you." She placed her hand over his face and his eyes rolled back, then there was darkness.  
  
**. . .**  
  
Sounds of feet tapping against the floor echoed down the hall as Will lead you all down towards the library.  
  
He was frowning. "An angel. She would indeed have the ability to tamper with the cinematic record."  
  
You looked at him. "You mean they can change the past?"  
  
He scoffed. "I don't think even a Reaper could manage that. But still, an angel can give a false sense of peace. Someone who has experienced great trauma great enough to break his soul may wish for all memory of it to be obliterated. However, it will haunt him forever. No matter what."  
  
**. . .**  
  
Ciel looked around, realizing he was in the garden in front of the manor. "What is this?"  
  
His eyes widened when he was grabbed by something and crushed into a hug. "There you are, silly! I told you I'd find you! Hehe!"  
  
He groaned. "Elizabeth?"  
  
"Congratulations, My Lady. You found him."  
  
He went still and spun around at the voice. "Isabella!"  
  
You smiled at him. "Young master, you can't go running off lik-" You were cut off by him surprising you with a hug.  
  
"Isabella, I need you. Right now."  
  
You rubbed his head. "Young master, it's alright. Your parents were worried you got yourself in trouble."  
  
"Parents?"  
  
You smiled again. "Isabella! Have you found him?"  
  
You looked behind you. "Yes, master. He's right here."  
  
Ciel pulled away from you in frozen shock when Vincent, Rachel, and Madam Red walked up, side by side. Vincent sighed. "Ciel, what have we told you about running off."  
  
Rachel waved a hand. "It's alright, dear. Isabella found him."  
  
Madam Red chuckled. "He's just a child, let him have his fun."  
  
Vincent lightly shook his head as Madam Red led Lizzie away.  
  
Ciel was still frozen. "I don't understand..."  
  
"You don't see the problem?" He jumped when Angela appeared with a frown on her face. "Let me give you a further look."  
  
Everything faded in white, and was replaced by flames. He stood in the door way of his father's study as the room was engulfed in flames. "It was all your maid. Isabella Brieris. Don't you see? This could've been prevented in the first place if she would've behaved like a good little pet."  
  
He put a hand over his mouth as his sight was locked on the corpses of his parents that were sewn together and he dropped to the floor.  
  
He cried, he let out his emotions as he bawled into the floor.  
  
"Ciel, it's alright."  
  
He looked up and froze. The flames were gone, along with the study. There was a field, white flower petals blowing, and Vincent and Rachel stood across from him.  
  
Vincent smiled. "You don't need to mourn us anymore. You can abandon your grief."  
  
Rachel smiled as well. "That's right. Ciel, we hate to see you suffering needlessly like this."  
  
He stood up and stared at them. "You're lying. Liar! My mother and father were killed!"  
  
Rachel still smiled. "We were. But in that moment, we saw a bright light. A tranquil, peaceful glow wrapped in love. In death, your father and I were able to become one in body and spirit."  
  
Vincent put an arm on Rachel. "Yes, that's right. And now that we are truly joined, now, we can embrace your body as well. And join you to us completely, son."  
  
Ciel's body relaxed. Vincent outstretched his arm. "Come, Ciel."  
  
Rachel did the same. "Our son."  
  
They spoke in unison. "We love you so much."  
  
Slowly, Ciel stepped forward. "I love you too."  
  
**. . .**  
  
You and Sebastian slammed the doors open as you all ran inside. Your teeth clenched at the sight of Ciel, in the arms of the angel, with his cinematic record displayed over his body.  
  
Sebastian's eyes widened. "Master!"  
  
Angela smiled. "His past is being re-written. Cleansed. Soon, he'll be as pure as the driven snow."  
  
Your eyes narrowed. "Angela"  
  
She looked up at you. "Hatred is painful. No-one wants to harbor it in their hearts. But you know all about that, don't you, Isabella?"  
  
Sebastian looked at you in surprise. "A couple centuries ago, it was you in his place. A true shame you became like this. You would've been so beautifully pure."  
  
You frowned. "As pure as an angel, you mean."  
  
She looked down at Ciel. "Ciel is no different."  
  
"Master!" Sebastian charged forward.  
  
"Don't be hasty." He stopped and looked at Will as he adjusted his glasses. "You can't stop her now. If you do, the child will become something less than human." He looked at you from the corner of his eye. "And we don't need a repeat of that."  
  
She smiled again. "Yes. Pure as the driven snow."  
  
You glared at her. "Ciel. My young master...being purified."  
  
_"Isabella, I need you. Right now."_  
  
Your eyes widened. _Ciel..._  
  
Grell sighed as he locked arms with Will and Sebastian. "Oh, dear. This isn't turning out  
very well. Do we have a plan?"  
  
They didn't notice when your body fell to the floor. Only when they heard the sound, did they turn around. "Izzy?"  
  
**. . .  
**  
Slowly, Ciel continued his steps toward Rachel and Vincent. Vincent was grinning, with the devil beneath it. "Yes, just a little closer, son."  
  
"Master"  
  
Ciel froze and Vincent's eyes narrowed. Ciel looked behind him and his eyes widened when he saw you standing behind him. "I-Isabella?"  
  
You walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder as you knelt down to him. "Ciel, this isn't real. They are not your parents. Your parents are dead. And if you stay in this prison any longer, I fear you may be as well."  
  
He was still. "They're not here..."  
  
"Don't listen to her, Ciel." He looked back to Vincent. "She betrayed me, Ciel. She let me die. You bare no grudge against her. Come, my son."  
  
You stood when he resumed walking towards them. Vincent smirked. "Let go of such emotions. Unnecessary. Unclean."  
  
He froze again.  
  
"What's wrong, son?"  
  
His teeth clenched. "No, no. I can't..."  
  
Rachel looked at him in fear. "Ciel, what are you saying?"  
  
"I don't care what you want...it cannot change my hatred."  
  
Rachel gasped and knelt down to grasp his shoulders. "Please, think about what you're saying. We're your parents, you need to trust-"  
  
"No...I don't!" He pushed her off and looked back at you. "Isabella"  
  
"Yes, young master?"  
  
"I want to make a contract."  
  
You smirked. "Are you certain?"  
  
"Yes! I want to make a contract now!"  
  
You smiled to yourself. "Certainly" You pulled off your left glove and your right glove. "What is your wish?"  
  
He balled his fists. "Aid me in achieving my goal. Protect and serve me, no matter what. Come every time I call your name and stay beside me. Until the day Sebastian collects my soul. In return, I give you access to every soul of my pawns that fall."  
  
You smiled. "I accept. Where would you like your mark?"  
  
"In the same place, we don't have time for every-"  
  
He screamed when your hand went over his right eye. A seal was burned onto your other hand as it also burned into his eye. After a few seconds, you pulled away and he gasped as he covered his eye.  
  
"Master, what are my orders?"  
  
Vincent and Rachel were watching in horror. "Ciel, why? Why can't you just let it go?"  
  
"I can't!" His fists stayed by his sides. "Since that day, my hate is all I've had. If I let it go, I will fade away with it. I can't!"  
  
He glared at them. "I will not loose my hatred!"  
  
They screamed as a blinding light erupted and they disappeared. "Isabella. I order you: Get me out of here now!" He ordered right before he, too, disappeared in the light.  
  
You smirked. "Yes, my Lord."  
  
**. . .**  
  
Sebastian stared at you as he held you close. "Isabella, what are you doing?"  
  
Grell gasped and they looked as Ciel hovered in the air, with Angela growling. "Look! He's rewinding the cinematic record all on his own!"  
  
His reels of tape flew back inside him, and he dropped. Sebastian looked at you as your eyes snapped open and you flew up, catching him mid-air and landing on your feet.  
  
"Master!" Sebastian ran up beside you as Ciel's eyes opened and he looked at you.  
  
"Isabella. Good catch."  
  
Sebastian stared down at him and smiled. "Always surprising. You are forever exceeding my expectations. You have a worthy soul. Indeed, truly worthy, master."  
  
Angela looked at you and Ciel in distaste as you set him down on the floor. "Such a horribly unclean heart. Depraved, stagnant, trapped in the dark. I should never have shown you pity. So here and now, I shall purify you."  
  
Sebastian flicked his wrist and several knives slid through his fingers. You did the same, and forks slid down yours. You smirked. "We'll see about that."  
  
"A crime in the library is our jurisdiction." Will adjusted his glasses. "Let us join the fight. Now come with me, Grell." He walked forward and stood beside you as Grell grinned.  
  
"Oh, my!" He snipped his scissors and jumped beside Sebastian, then squirmed in  
excitement. "Ooh! We shall march into battle together, then! How-"  
  
"Excuse me. Pardon me, coming through!" You all watched Undertaker as he casually rolled a cart of books in front of you. He walked up to one of the book cases and tapped his chin. "Let's see...number 8. Number 8."  
  
Ciel looked at him in disbelief. "Undertaker?"  
  
He looked back and waved at the group of people. "Hi!"  
  
Grell furrowed his eyebrows. "You? What are you doing he-Ow!" He rubbed his head and glared at Will, who frowned at him.  
  
"Mind your manners, you idiot." He looked to Undertaker in awe. "He's a legend. he past judgement on Robin hood and sent Marie Antoinette to hell. The Grim Reaper who makes even crying children willingly give up their souls."  
  
You smiled. "Unnie, you didn't tell me you would be here. I thought you don't come here anymore."  
  
He chuckled. "I thought it would be a nice surprise. Besides, I had to return a few books I borrowed."  
  
Ciel looked at you. "You knew what he was?"  
  
"Of course, master. I met him when he was still Ad-"  
  
"A-ah!" He pointed a finger at you. "You don't just give that information to anyone, now."  
  
Grell looked between you two. "No! Not fair! He doesn't look anything like the chap in the sequence just now!"  
  
_Sequence?_  
  
He ran over and spun Undertaker around. "How can this creepy old man be a legendary Grim Reaper?" He lifted his bangs and went still, before dreamily falling on Undertaker's chest. "Take me..."  
  
A blinding white light lit up the room. Everyone looked up at the familiar large opening of light and Angela, who flew towards it, but looked down at you with a smirk. "You seem busy, Isabella. I suppose I'll start my cleansing in the Abbey, then."  
  
Your teeth clenched. "Running away, coward?"  
  
"You shall see. I'll show you what happens in a world ruled by impurity. I doubt you'll like it." She disappeared in the light.  
  
You sneered and flung your forks at her, but they just bounced off when the light closed up.  
  
Your eyes widened as Ciel looked around at the bookcases of the library, that were now empty. "What was that?"  
  
Will narrowed his eyes. "An angelic seal."  
  
Grell frantically ran to the door and tried to open it, but it didn't. He jumped up and placed his feet against the door, but it didn't help. He looked back. "It won't open!"  
  
Will sighed. "Oh dear. Unfortunately, it looks as if we've been locked in."  
  
The sound of something falling made everyone look down. Will walked over and picked up the book the fell open. "Interesting. It looks like the cinematic record of somebody in that abbey."  
  
He hummed as words were being written. "An angel of massacre is descending in an abbey near Preston."  
  
Ciel looked at him. "What? An angel of massacre?"  
  
"Let me see that." Undertaker walked over and Will handed it to him. He looked at the writing and smiled. "Ah, yes. I see it now."  
  
He looked down when Ciel grabbed his sleeve. "Stop her now."  
  
Sebastian smiled. "Ah, master. How charitable. I thought your intent was to put an end to this cult, once and for all."  
  
Ciel frowned at him. "I don't want to help them. But I don't want her to have her way. That's all."  
  
Grell put a hand on his hip. "And what are we supposed to do? We can't even find a way out of here."  
  
Will adjusted his glasses. "No, not true. We have a way. There is a tool that us managers have access."  
  
You looked at Undertaker, who began smiling.  
  
"This tool is the death bookmark."  
  
Ciel rose an eyebrow. "A bookmark?"  
  
Undertaker giggled and held up said bookmark. "And it's pink, isn't that lovely?" He placed it between the pages. "If we use this to hold the story, we can make some editorial changes. The woman in this story happens to be Matilda Simmons. It says here that she is purified in the abbey by the angel Angela."  
  
Ciel looked at it. "But the sentence just ends there."  
  
Undertaker chuckled and put his inked quill on the page. "Oh, yes. But I just added here that Sebastian Michaelis appears behind her suddenly."  
  
In the blink of an eye, Sebastian was gone, making Grell jump. "Oh! Oh, no! Bassy!"  
  
Undertaker grinned. "Well, now that he's gone, we can-"  
  
You narrowed your eyes. "Unnie"  
  
"Oh, alright." He staring writing in it again. "And Isabella Brieris also appears to aid the black butler."  
  
**. . .**  
  
You appeared beside the nun Sebastian had...massaged. She looked up at you with wide eyes. "O-oh, it's you!"  
  
You sighed with a frown.  
  
"You think a demon can compare with the purity of a winged angel?"  
  
You looked forward and caught eye of Angela, her back to you as Sebastian kneeled in front of her.  
  
"A creature like you is chained to the earth. Forever."  
  
She gasped when a fork flew by into the wall and clawed her arm. "Really? Is that so?" She spun around and glared at you as you marched forward and slid more forks down your fingers. "Then I suppose that means you are forever chained to the heavens."  
  
You stabbed the knives in her abdomen, but she grabbed a handful of your shirt and pushed you into the wall. The force ripped the top of your shirt open, showing some very impure skin. She glared. "You can't challenge me, Abigail. You lost that fight long ago."  
  
She looked behind her and yelled when a pruner snapped around her throat and rose her up to the wall. Will reached into his pocket and pulled out another pruner. "Let's get to work." He threw it to the side, which Grell caught as he appeared beside him.  
  
He held it close and jumped in joy. "Oh! A brand new death scythe!" It shot forward and impaled her palm of her hand, pinning her in place. "Yes!"  
  
Will frowned. "You will wash and return that when this is over."  
  
He sighed. "Oh, so cruel."  
  
Sebastian grabbed you by your waist and brought you down on the floor. "Are you alright?"  
  
You smirked. "Alright? Why, I'm never better." You walked forward. "This is turning to be quite fun." You slid down more forks and gazed up at her vulnerable state in amusement. "Do you know what? I think we should have ourselves a game of darts. Don't you agree, Sebastian?"  
  
He watched with a smirk as you flung several forks at her, which stuck in her sides. You pouted. "Dear, I missed."  
  
Sebastian slid knives down and smiled up at her. "Allow me, my kitten. Now, whatever shall I aim for next?" He flung them, and they stuck in her forearm.  
  
Grell waved his arm. "Pick me, I want to play!"  
  
Will frowned and glared at Sebastian. "A demon, alright."  
  
Angela winced in pain, then she smirked down at you. "You believe this is over? I will not parish by your hand, you abomination!" Your eyes narrowed and you went to fling utensils at her again, but then, she screamed. The scream was deafening and it rang out as she began to glow brightly and her eyes filled with white.  
  
She screamed again, louder, loud enough to make the pillars and the walls crack. The men and women in the church stood as the building shook.  
  
Sebastian looked around. "What's this? Does she mean to die along with us?"  
  
Grell gulped as he looked up. "Um, people, look at the ceiling." It was beginning to crumble and fall apart.  
  
You sneered at her, then looked back at the people still standing. "You are all free to leave now. It may be the best option at the moment."  
  
The nun nodded. "Yes, yes okay." In a moment, almost everyone was running out of the church. As the pillars fell apart, a piece of it fell and hit the coffin containing the priest's body.  
  
Will looked to Grell. "It is our turn as well. We will retreat, Grell Sutcliffe." Grell didn't spare any second and took off running out of the church. Will sighed as he walked after him. "Seriously. Never mind the overtime, I want a day off."  
  
You and Sebastian walked behind him, but you stopped to gaze up at the stain glass window of Jesus Christ, then at Angela and your eyes narrowed. "This is not over." Sebastian grabbed you and you both ran out right before a large boulder fell.  
  
Angela smirked. "Until next time, Abigail."  
  
**. . .**  
  
You and Sebastian stood behind Ciel as he gazed at the ruins of the church and the dead bodies of the men and women in the rubble. "Is it over?"  
  
You looked at the broken window of Jesus Christ. No. It'll never be over.  
  
Ciel turned and looked at you. "I'm sorry. Our contract is meaningless if it doesn't last more than a day."  
  
You tilted your head. He looked to Sebastian. "A promise is a promise."  
  
Sebastian walked forward and stopped to gaze down at him. Ciel shut his eyes. Sebastian stared at him, then knelt down. Ciel flinched, then opened his eyes in surprise when Sebastian only fixed his tie and stood up with a smile.  
  
Ciel clenched his teeth and grabbed him by his collar. "Why, Sebastian? Why aren't you taking my soul?!" He stepped back when Sebastian only continued to smile. He walked over to you and shook his head in disbelief. "She has to be dead. She has to be! Or is it someone else?"  
  
"I'm sorry, master." You were frowning. "I'm afraid we'll be serving you a little while longer."  
  
He looked down and stepped away from you. "Then...for now, let's go."  
  
Sebastian eyed you curiously and walked over to you. "Are you sure you're alright?"  
  
Your eyes stayed glued to the broken window. "You heard the young master." You looked up at him. "Let's go."  
  
**. . .**  
  
Ciel sighed and looked up at the person across from him. "I would like to thank you, Undertaker. Because you were there, I was one step closer to achieving my goal."  
  
He grinned. Will looked over at him. "Out of curiosity, why were you in the library? I was under the impression you had retired from active service."  
  
He turned and looked at Grell, who was walking over with tea in a beaker glass for him. "Well, this fellow here reminded me of something." Grell fluttered his lashes as Undertaker took the beaker of tea. "There was some cinematic records I neglected to return."  
  
Ciel frowned. "You must be kidding."  
  
He rose a finger. "Certainly not. In fact, now that you mention it, two of the books I checked out were for an Earl Phantomhive and his lady wife."  
  
Ciel looked at him in surprise. "Two of the cinematic records that have never been touched by avenging angels.  Would you like to know what they said, my lord?"  
  
You looked down at Ciel as he put his head down. "No. Now..." He reached over and picked up his top hat, then put it on. "Let's go, Sebastian, Isabella."  
  
Sebastian bowed as you placed our hand over your stomach. "Yes, young master." Ciel stood and you all walked out of the funeral parlor. You looked at everyone and bowed your head. Undertaker looked at you knowingly as you shut the door.  
  
He grinned and put a finger to his lips. "That was interesting."  
  
**. . .  
**  
Sebastian looked at Ciel as you all crossed the street. "Are you certain that was wise? I'm sorry, but if you read the books, you'd be certain who deserved your revenge."  
  
"It's done."  
  
You smiled. "Feeling sentimental?"  
  
"Not that." He looked at the ground. _It's just...seeing them again, being near them once more..._  
  
He looked up. "You can only disgrace the dead so much."  
  
You kept your smile and glanced at your ring.  
  
**_'Yes, that's my boy.'_**


	37. His Maid, Imprisoned: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Master. Lately, you seem to have made quite a friend of inspector Abberline. Making new friends is notable, naturally, but one might earl on the side of caution.  
> I advise you not to become so deeply involved that you put yourself at risk. Share a short conversation now and then, but always be on the look out.
> 
> Next time on Black Maid, "His Maid, Imprisoned"
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

Before the door had even closed Sebastian wrapped his arms around you from behind. One inhale of his delicious scent and you wanted to turn around. His right hand dropped to your thigh, pulling up the skirt that hung so loose just above your knees. You couldn't move even if you tried, like his fingers had short circuited your mind in the best possible way.  
  
He turned you around and your back slammed on the hard surface, his eyes searching yours as he fell on you. You kissed him back and bit his bottom lip, hard enough it drew blood as he knew you would. With your lips you felt his mouth stretch wider than it should, fighting between grinning and kissing.  
  
Your lips fitted perfectly-- as if they were meant for each other. Moving against each other, feeling each other. Sebastian grabbed the back of your neck, growling in the kiss as you growled back in pleasure.  
  
His finger tips were electric, they must've been, for wherever they touched your skin tingled in a frenzy of static. As his hands moved over your skin your body had a transitory paralysis, your mind unable to process the pleasure so fast. His head moved around to your left ear and he whispered what was coming next. Suddenly your body was off pause-mode and you pulled back for a kiss that was both soft and hard. Both of you moved in an intoxicated dance of limbs, never making the exact same moves twice, not in the few days you've been lovers. He's your cat-nip, you're his dear kitten.  
  
His hands snaked up your shirt and you tingled in anticipation from the feeling of his gloves.  
  
"Hey! What we got for breakfast today, Isa-"  
  
Sebastian's hand froze as it nearly ripped off your shirt and your lips didn't move from where they were attached to his abdomen as your teeth released their hold on his pants. You closed your eyes and sighed internally as Sebastian looked over at Bard, who stood in the doorway. The cigar fell from his dropped jaw.  
  
"Boy! Something sure smells good, yes it does! Ah!!"  
  
Finny frantically pointed at the both of you, and at your leg that was positioned over his shoulder, and forcibly pulling his head down.  
  
"Finny! You can't just go-"  
  
Mey-Rin gasped as her face went red and blood streamed down her nose. "Oh my..."  
  
"What are you all doing? You should be working, not-"  
  
_Oh no._  
  
"What are you doing?!"  
  
You heard Sebastian chuckle. "I'm afraid you are still too young to know the details of that information, my Lord."  
  
Your eyes snapped open and you glared up at him as he only smirked with a hint of...triumph. Ciel let out a strangled sound of anger as he stomped out of the room and down the hall.  
  
There was a moment of silence in the room, then... "Alright, Sebastian!"  
  
You turned your glare over to Bard, who still had his fist in the air. His face paled as he quickly ran off, followed by the remaining servants who couldn't take the sight any longer.  
  
You looked back at Sebastian, who was smirking. "Well, I hope you're happy."  
  
**. . .**  
  
Even when you and Sebastian followed behind Ciel down the street, Sebastian was still smirking.  
  
"You haven't said a word since we left the manor. Is something on your mind, master?"  
He stayed silent. His feet were stomping on the gravel as he just walked, ignoring the presence of his servants.  
  
The silence was antagonizing. Sebastian was enjoying himself far more than he should and Ciel being silent was worse than him yelling at you or slapping you. You looked up when you neared the group of police that were surrounded by a dead body.  
  
Ah, yes. That's why you were all here.  
  
_Flashback...  
  
Ashe picked up his tea cup and sipped it. "This morning, a body washed up at the regions canal dock. The man's name was John Stanley. By profession, he was a merchant in the shipping business."  
  
Ciel gave a bored sigh as he looked at the papers in his hand and rested his cheek on his fist. "And?"  
  
"He was a criminal operative in the underworld on top secret assignment for her majesty." You a small the ghost of a smirk on his face. "Not unlike you, Lord Phantomhive." Ciel looked at him as he rose his arm out to him. "Her majesty wished me to convey this.." With a flick of the wrist, a folded piece of paper appeared in his hand. "Find the thing on his person and destroy it. That is all. Think you're up for it?"  
  
Ciel stared at him as he held the paper out to him. "And his killer? Shall I find him as well?"  
  
He smiled. "No. You have your orders. Find this object and dispose of it."  
  
Ciel took the paper from his hand. "Fine. Just tell me what I'm looking for."  
  
"No. It's a secret."  
  
Ciel scoffed. "Then how am I supposed to find it?"  
  
He silenced the room, along with Ciel as his knife tapped the plate of cake in front of him. For some reason, Ashe looked straight ahead of him, at you where you were standing. He had a small smirk.  
  
"You're a loyal dog. Even so, her majesty hesitates to share this bit of information to you." His eyes narrowed as they traveled over to Ciel. "And who are we to suggest any decision of hers? I suggest you follow her orders and don't look further into it."  
  
Ciel sighed. "Yes, I understand."  
  
"There is one more thing."  
  
He looked up at him as Ash turned his gaze back to you and gestured to you with his fork. "Her majesty wishes for Isabella Brieris to not be a part of this case."  
_  
_You furrowed your brows as Ciel narrowed his eye. "And why not? Forgive me, but what my maid is a part of is not any business of the queen."  
  
"Is that disobedience to her majesty, I hear?" He snickered and stood up from the table. "You being her master doesn't change anything." He walked over to you and stopped in front of you. You watched in suspicion, right before he leaned in and whispered in your ear.  
  
"She gave strict order to make sure you are apart from your master and his butler. When the time comes, her majesty doesn't wish to put her royal cat behind bars along with her guard dog and his servant."  
  
You smirked as he pulled back. "I follow my master. Whatever he orders from me, I follow. I shall always stick to my master like a shadow. Any consequences that shall take place because of my loyalty I am happy to take with a smile plastered on my face."  
  
You smiled. "That's what makes a Phantomhive servant."  
_  
Abberline stood up as he stared down at the corpse. "Doesn't matter. We won't know anything until he's identified."  
  
"That isn't necessary."  
  
They all looked over at Ciel and his servants. "We know his identity. His name is John Stanley." He didn't even look at Sebastian as he spoke, but when he did, there was a word full of venom. "He has the rest of his particulars for you."  
  
Sebastian walked forward and handed them the file on John Stanley. "Inspector" Arthur glared as he took the file and opened it.  
  
As he looked at the papers, he glanced at Ciel. "And what is your interest in this?"  
  
His face was emotionless. "Doing my civic duty in cooperating with the police. Isn't that what you've always told me to do, Sir Arthur?"  
  
Arthur hummed. "Spare me the noble protestations. What is it you want with this case? Out with it, Phantomhive."  
  
He frowned. "A bit gosh, but if you prefer it that way, I'm happy to oblige." His eye narrowed. "I need to see any belongings left on the victim."  
  
Abberline looked down at the body. "Well, actually, there were none. Not even any identification papers."  
  
You looked to the crowd of people, and once a little boy saw you looking, he turned and ran off. This made you raise your eyebrows, but your eyes narrowed in suspicion.  
  
"In that case, I'm happy I could be of service. Thank you, inspector Abberline." Ciel turned and didn't even look at Sebastian. "Let's go." He began to walk, but stopped and looked at you as you stared at where the boy had ran off. "Isabella"  
  
You turned and bowed your head. "Sir"  
  
Arthur sneered as he watched your backs grow further away. "Nosey brat! I'll never understand why her majesty puts her trust in him."  
  
Abberline looked ahead at Ciel in sadness. "Because he's her guard dog, sir."  
  
**. . .**  
  
Sebastian was smiling in amusement at Ciel, enjoying every minute of his silence because it was him realizing his victory in obtaining you. He glanced at you as you looked at Ciel in worry and wanted to laugh.  
  
So, instead, he smirked at the question he was about to repeat again. "You seem very quiet today. Is something bothering you, my-"  
  
"If you say one more word again for the rest of the day I will order you to rip out your tongue."  
  
He was taken back at Ciel's threat, but still smiled nonetheless. But it fell as you reached over and put your hand over Ciel's. Ciel's head shot up and a blush covered his cheeks as he stared at you in pure surprise.  
  
You had a serious frown. "Master, this morning's events aside, I know there is something on your mind that is truly bothering you."  
  
He gripped the head of his cane and slugged his shoulders. "This case just makes me a bit uneasy. Merely, we don't have all the information."  
  
You smiled. "I understand your wavered feelings toward it."  
  
"And I wonder why the queen doesn't want you here." His lips curled. "It makes me ponder what she's planning. After all, she still does see you as her servant. She must believe you will bend to her every command, maybe even betray me."  
  
"Possibly" He looked at you as if you just slapped him. "Something tells me if she truly believes that, there will be events about to unfold that may force me to do so."  
  
He looked away to the window. "First, we need a better understanding of the situation."  
  
"Meaning what exactly?"  
  
He glanced at you. "We need to find out why he was murdered. Or was he simply in the wrong place at the wrong time?"  
  
He tapped his cane. "We know whose territory he was in at the time."  
  
**. . .  
**  
The doors to the underground sanctuary opened and Ciel instantly covered his nose. The air was so thick with smoke, there was hardly any room to breathe. Those under the influence barely even acknowledged you as you all walked down the aisle.  
  
Ciel groaned. "This place is foul."  
  
You all stopped in front of the lit lantern.  
  
"A-ha. I see you finally found my place of business." He smirked as he took out the pipe from his mouth. "It feels so strange to meet on such questionable circumstances, my young lord. And yet inevitable, don't ye think? I must say, I always knew someday it might come to this."  
  
When the smoke cleared, it revealed Lau sitting on a couch with several ladies in tiny dresses sprawled all over him, with Ran Mao on his lap as usual.  
  
Ciel's eyebrow twitched. "It might come to what?"  
  
He smiled. "Welcome to my humble house of pleasures, darling Earl."  
  
Your face fell. _Was he actually offering Ciel to...be pleasured?_  
  
Ciel looked at him in offence. "If you're trying to push your wares...forget it. The only thing I want from you is information."  
  
He tilted his head. "Do these lovely ladies not interest you?" He smirked. "Well, we could always dress the lovely Isabella to your liking."  
  
His face turned bright red as Sebastian glared daggers at Lau and you smiled. "I don't think that would be very appropriate, it might taint my master's image of me."  
  
Ciel looked at you in absolute horror. "A-Are you implying if I wasn't here you would actually do it?!" You rose an eyebrow as he looked back at Lau with a sigh. "Just tell me what I need to know."  
  
"My, my, so impatient for a young age." He rubbed Ran Mao's back as his smile stayed. "If you think I know something that would make it worth your while to venture so bravely in my den of sin, then you're quite right."  
  
He frowned. "So you've already heard what happened, then. I thought as much. But what should I expect from the head of the English branch of the Chinese training company? Much less from a Shanghai officer of the mafia's Green Gang."  
  
He chuckled. "Oh dear, I never have cared for fancy titles such as that one. They're so stiff and formal." He looked at Ran Mao ant tilted her chin to look at him. "Don't you agree, Ran Mao?"  
  
You heard a small frustrated sigh from Ciel. "I left you in charge of the dealings in this area for a reason. So, I assumed you'd stay informed about any disputes that occurred in your territory."  
  
He smiled and gestured to Ciel. "Naturally, as part of your original instructions, my Lord. I can hardly forget about the protection fee I pay in order to conduct my business."  
  
Ciel rose an eyebrow. "Well, then?"  
  
"More Importantly, I have something to ask you."  
  
Though he was smiling, Lau's face was serious. "What exactly are you talking about?"  
  
Ciel's face went pale as he face-palmed. "Dammit, Lau!"  
  
You chuckled. "The man is just talking through his head again."  
  
Lau let out a laugh as he stood up. "What do you say we go upstairs for a chat? It seems a bit stuffy in here, don't you agree?"  
  
Ciel glared at Lau as he passed by. "Perhaps if you changed your place of income, you wouldn't have that problem quite as often!"  
  
Lau stopped and looked back at him. "There are people in this world, Lord Phantomhive, who find reality a bitter and unforgiving place to live. If you can believe it. I merely sell them dreams of a less painful existence."  
  
**. . .**  
  
"Now let's see, nowadays, I suppose all the gang fights in the area have been about drugs. There's a new drug on the market. Somebody's been spreading it around town quite liberally for a while now. Frankly, it's become quite an inconvenience for me."  
  
Ciel put a finger to his lips. "A new product?"  
  
"Yes. Apparently it is cheaper, more effective, and easier to transport than common Opium. It goes by the name of "Lady Blanc"."  
  
Ciel's eye widened. "The white Lady? Do you know why it was given that name?"  
  
Lau furrowed his brows in confusion. "Is it important?"  
  
He looked down. "Uh, no."  
  
Lau hummed. "What's the name of the man they found at regions canal dock? Perhaps I will have heard of him."  
  
Sebastian reached into his pocket and walked over to him. His name was John Stanley." He handed Lau a picture of him. "I'm afraid it's likely that was an alias, however."  
  
Lau sighed. "He doesn't look familiar to me. And to think I flattered myself - I knew all the small time drug pushers in the area." He moved the picture in front of Ran Mao. "What about you? You recognize him?" She shook her head and Lau shrugged as he handed the picture back to Sebastian. "Well, there you have it."  
  
Ciel leaned forward. "I'm looking for something this man was supposed to have had. He was carrying it on his person."  
  
Lau smiled. "Just something?"  
  
"Yes. And it's possible this something was the reason he was killed in cold blood. Which is why...there's something I'd like you to do for me."  
  
"And what is that, my young Earl?"  
  
"I want you to spread a rumor about me. Let it be known I am in possession of something valuable I took from the man who was murdered."  
  
He chuckled. "Darling, that couldn't be easier-"  
  
"That's not it."  
  
Lau stopped as Ciel clenched his fists. "I want it to be known that I had ordered my maid, Isabella Brieris, personally to take it off of the body."  
  
Lau's eyebrow rose. "Oh? And may I be permitted to know why?"  
  
He crossed his arms and leaned back. "If we spread that rumor far enough, the killer is sure to hear it. And he'll have to doubt the authenticity of the article he stole from John Stanley. Then he'll be forced to come after me for the real thing. And...the Queen's butler had told Isabella to stay out of this case. I want to test a theory as to what would happen if she was directly involved."  
  
Lau gave a small gasp in realization. "Oh, I see. You're using yourself as bait, you clever thing you. A courageous act indeed, from the Queen's loyal guard dog." He then uncrossed his legs and leaned off the edge of the couch. "By the way, I've always wanted to inquire about something. How is it you remain so loyal to your lord and master? It seems to me she makes unreasonable demands to you."  
  
Ciel looked to the side. "I doubt you could ever understand it. You left your country for another. If you couldn't put down roots, you couldn't possibly comprehend the depths of mine, Lau."  
  
He sat back with a smile. "You've got me there."  
  
**. . .**  
  
Lau watched from the window as Ciel's carriage drove off with a frown. "Now then, Zoa, send out as the Earl requested. We'll angle a few rumors about him." He turned towards his servant. "It seems he obtained a document from a dead man they found at the regions canal dock. And make it stand out that it was his maid, Isabella Brieris, that personally got her hands on it for him."  
  
Zao looked at him in confusion. "A document, sir?"  
  
Lau smiled to himself as he looked back out the window. "My dear Earl, of all the lovely games we've played with each other over the years, this one may prove to be the most entertaining."  
  
**. . .**  
  
You hummed as you placed the tower of sweets on the table and frowned at Ciel, who was comfortably slouching over the couch. With a sigh, you straightened up and turned as the door opened. Sebastian walked inside with a cart of tea, making Ciel snicker.  
  
His face fell when you bowed and walked towards the door. "Uh, Isabella, wait."  
  
You looked back at him. "Yes?"  
  
"I-I want you to prepare a bath for me."  
  
You smiled. "Oh, pardon me, but I have a few matters to discuss with Tanaka about some of the latest products for the Funtom company." You smirked. "I'm sure Sebastian will be more than happy to bathe you, sir."  
  
He frowned as you walked out of the room. the room fell into a heavy silence as Sebastian picked up a cup for the tea.  
  
Ciel kept his gaze away, but after a few minutes, he finally spoke. "Lady Blanc. You don't think the drug is named after the woman in white for the last case, do you?"  
  
Sebastian smiled in amusement as he placed his tea in front of him. "You're so like a lost puppy sometimes. You know that, don't you?"  
  
He looked at him with a cold glare.  
  
"I may be one hell of a good playing piece to maneuver, but I am still merely a pawn in your game. And despite the undeniable hatred you feel towards me now, you cannot change what we have. That aside, do you really want to ask a pawn for advice on strategy?"  
  
He sneered under his breath. "I'm still alive, which can only mean one thing. My wish has been unfulfilled and my contracts with you and Isabella are in full effect."  
  
Sebastian looked down at him with a frown. "Why did you choose to make a contract when you had one with me?"  
  
Ciel slightly smirked. "Our contract may have been formed before mine with hers, but she and I have something that you both will never have." He glanced up at him. "History. And our humanity."  
  
Sebastian stared down at him with narrowed eyes, before smiling. "Yes, unfortunately, that is true."  
  
He sighed. "For the time being, I'll continue playing the role of the guard dog her majesty demands. As the Phantomhive heir, it is my duty to follow in the footsteps of my ancestors."  
  
He casted his head down. "Yes, it's exactly the same. Nothing has changed at all. Except this feeling..."  
  
"Waaahhh!!!"  
  
He looked up at the sound of someone screaming outside.  
  
**. . .**  
  
Mey-Rin was blushing as she attempted to push Pluto off of her. "Bad dog! No! Get off me!"  
  
Bard grunted as he tried to pull him off. "Stupid mutt! Let her go!"  
  
Finny frantically waved his arms as Ciel and Sebastian walked out into the hall. "Pluto! Let go!"  
  
Ciel sighed in annoyance, but looked up when you walked up across from them with Tanaka beside you.  
  
You tilted your head. "Oh dear." You reached down and pulled Pluto by his collar and pulled him up to your face. He barked in it and you narrowed your eyes. "Pluto. Kennel." He froze and gulped as he caught sight of your concealed demonic eyes, then barked and dropped on the floor, proceeding to run down the hall.  
  
Ciel looked at the servants. "Can anyone tell me what that was all about?"  
  
Bard walked up beside him. "Can't tell you for certain, but maybe he's rutting."  
  
Mey-Rin stood up with red cheeks. "But why after me?!"  
  
Sebastian looked at Mey-Rin. "Was it me or did he seem to be concentrating on the item in Mey-Rin's pocket."  
  
She turned around. "Oh, did he now?" She reached in her pocket and pulled out two candies in their wrappers. "Oh!"  
  
Bard looked at them. "Well that's it. You've got them Funtom candies on ya."  
  
She smiled. "Forgot about this. The nice lady gave it to me, yes she did. Said they're becoming the rage all over London."  
  
Finny pulled out some candies too. "Ya, she gave them to us when we said we've never tried 'em. She was really nice, right Mey-Rin? Apparently they're so good even dogs can't get enough. And they make you feel amazing!"  
  
Mey-Rin smiled. "She says they're addicting."  
  
Bard shrugged and reached for one. "Well, give us a taste-"  
  
"Hold on a moment!"  
  
They jumped when Tanaka took the candies from Mey-Rin and opened them. He moved them over to you. "Isabella, take a look."  
  
You leaned in and narrowed your eyes. "Tanaka, that is nothing like the candies I signed off."  
  
He nodded and looked at Ciel. "Lord Phantomhive, I think it is safe to say this sweet was not made off by the Funtom company."  
  
His eyes widened. "It isn't?" He looked at you. "You're certain?"  
  
Tanaka plucked the oddly shaped white hard 'candy' and examined it. "This wrapper is genuine, but our quality control wouldn't allow a shipment of Funtom candies so unshapely." He sniffed it, then licked it's surface. His eyes widened. "This is-"  
  
He didn't get the chance to finish as he shrunk back down to his chibi size as he breathed heavily.  
  
Finny gasped. "Oh no! He ran out of time!"  
  
You picked up the candy from the floor and sniffed it, then opened your eyes and looked down at Ciel. "Some kind of narcotic. It's derived from the material substance of Opium. Perhaps rather defined, actually."  
  
Sebastian also looked down at Ciel. "I assume this is the new drug Mr. Lau spoke of."  
  
Ciel looked at the drug in your hand. "We found Lady Blanc."


	38. His Maid, Imprisoned: 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pain. So much pain. It is derived from anger and being hurt by those that supposedly cared for you. A very laughable idea, if you think about it.
> 
> Pain is but a feeling. An motion. It's simple anatomy. But then again, I really am a sucker for pain.

After the discovery of Funtom's false candies, Ciel was on a determined rampage. He practically ran to the front door and you had to stop him and place a coat on his shoulders before he could catch a cold with the cool night air.

You chuckled at his impatientness. "My, you're in a hurry. Careful, you'll catch your death of col-"

"That is the last thing on my mind." He sneered out and opened the door, before running outside.

You frowned. Sebastian already brought the carriage out front and quickly opened the door for Ciel as he stomped into the carriage, but what surprised you was him slamming the door shut, before Sebastian could.

"Hurry up! We need to go now!"

You sighed and walked outside as you shut the door behind you. "Young master-" You were cut off by Sebastian wrapping an arm around your waist and jumping up on the driver's seat. As he sat you down, he grabbed the reins and sat down.

"Go, Sebastian! Now!" The horses neighed and their hooves pounded on the gravel as Sebastian snapped the reins and the carriage sped off into the night.

You watched Sebastian drive and the horses run in curiosity. You weren't an idiot, you knew why he was in a hurry to get there. Because of the narcotics hidden within his company's candy wrappers, they are mistaken as Funtom candies. Whoever replaced them with the real candies obviously wanted to target Ciel to blame all while selling their precious drug.

Yes, that you understood. But what you didn't understand is still why the Queen wanted you out of this. Yet, it was all beginning to make sense. The Queen had ordered Ciel to simply find an item on a dead body, an item he was oblivious to knowing. When he had arrived at the scene, it seemed sketchy that Ciel would simply ask to see the victim's belongings. You could tell that by the look on Sir Arthur Randall's face.

Then he goes to see Lau, a person who isn't afraid to show how dark his intentions can be, and he asks him to spread a rumor about him having the item in question. And now, he makes the discovery that the drug has been posing as his making all along. It was clear what was going to happen next.

"Get me to the sweets factory! And quickly!"

Sebastian snapped the reins harder, making the horses only barely increase their speed.

_**'He's going to be arrested, isn't he?'** _

You opened your eyes and looked at your ring. Your face was clear of emotions. "Yes."

Sebastian glanced at you and furrowed his brows.

_**'The rumor he asked of Lau...they're going to take you as well, aren't they?'** _

You stared ahead of you. "Yes."

_**'Torture you. Get you to talk and admit Ciel was the culprit all along?'** _

"Yes."

_**'I imagine they'll take the butler as well, for leverage perhaps? Or even as a backup?'** _

"Yes."

You closed your eyes and caressed the ring with your finger. "Master. I'm sorry. I can't allow you to see what comes next."

_**'It's all right, Isabella. I understand.'** _

Your jaw clenched as you slid the ring off your finger and slipped it into your collar. You felt it fall beneath your shirt and into your corset. You turned your head to Sebastian, who was still glancing at you curiously, and gave the smallest of smiles.

"What I am about to say is very un-demon like." His lips moved to speak, but you silenced him instantly. "I have a very strong feeling for you that runs deep through my tainted soul."

You could hear his breath hitch as you placed a hand over your heart. "This feeling I have, humans may call it love." You laughed. "Honestly, how meaningless...for something called love that has neither meaning nor form. Laughable, isn't it?"

He pressed his lips into a thin line and looked away from you. His line slowly turned into a smile. "I wouldn't say that."

Your eyes widened and he chuckled at your reaction. "But why exactly would you choose now to say this?" He snapped the reins again.

Your voice was quite and full of emotionless certainty. "Because in a few moments, I won't have a chance like this to say it again."

He frowned, but that was right before he spotted a man stepping out to stand in the middle of the road. "Halt!"

At the last moment, Sebastian pulled the reins tight in his grip, forcing the horses to stop right in front of the man.

You smiled down at Abberline. "My, you truly must have a death wish. Had anyone else been driving, you would've been trampled."

You saw a hint of a smirk on his face. "I knew fully well who you both were and that's why you were stopped."

You kept your smile as Sebastian looked around at the swarm of officers that ran out of the darkness and surrounded the carriage.

Ciel opened the door and poked his head out. "Hey! What's going on out there?"

Abberline looked at Ciel and frowned with a look of disappointment in his eyes. "I have stopped you, Lord Phantomhive. Please, step down. You are under arrest in the name of her majesty for violating the pharmacy act!"

"Allow me, master." Sebastian jumped down and opened the door for Ciel.

Ciel stepped down from it and looked at Abberline with a smile full of pride. "So, you would dare detain me? Do you have any idea the magnitude of the insult you offer to the name of my family? And you - an untitled police inspector no less."

Abberline narrowed his eyes. "I'm afraid that's correct, Ciel. You are suspected of collaboration with that drug pusher, Lau. We know that you've been distributing with a new form of narcotic."

"With Lau?" Ciel let out a laugh. "Ha! That's just ridiculous. I'll admit, I have been using him as a pawn for sometime. But Randall knew full well he was running an Opium den and he never said a word. If that's a problem, then arrest Lau. He knows I would never protect him."

You looked to the side when you saw a person step out of the shadows and closed your eyes.

Abberline remained neutral. "You own a warehouse, yes? Located down by the docks?"

"Yes"

"That's where we found it. A large hidden cashe of the Opium known as "Lady Blanc"."

Ciel's eyes widened. "Far too large to be claimed as recreational use. It was already inside Funtom sweet wrappers."

Ciel's fist tightened. "And Lau?"

"On the run. The team we sent after him suffered great casualties. Practically an admission of guilt."

Sebastian turned to Ciel. "What would you have us do, my Lord?"

Ciel looked down. _Should I let them take me in for now? Or not?_

He then looked up at Sebastian, and then you. "Sebastian, Isabella, my orders are-"

"Shut your mouth now, you brat!"

Ciel was taken back at the voice that cut him off. "Abberline, I told you to separate the toy Earl from his maid and his butler."

Ciel frowned. "Randall. I wonder that you would point a gun at me, knowing what it means to do so."

He smirked in triumph. "It's not you I have intention to pull this trigger on." He turned and pointed the barrel of the gun towards the person in the driver's seat.

Ciel clenched his teeth. "What is the meaning of this?! Answer me, now!"

"Oh, and why should I? My orders come directly from the Queen's representative. And he made his majesty's intent quite clear."

_Flashback..._

_Ashe smirked as he tapped his fingers on Randall's desk. "Only the person with the item would know what it is. And this wouldn't be the first time Funtom has been accused of breaking the Queen's law. Naturally, we suspect this all began with it's creator, who has been responsible for this from the beginning. Arrest this suspect and detain Lau along with his collaborator, Lord Phantomhive."_

"Since before you came along, Funtom has been darkened by the previous Lord Phantomhive. We know this has been going on since then, and we have no choice but to blame it's creator. Not to mention the crime they have committed aside from this."

Ciel sneered. "You speak of my father? How dare yo-"

"Isabella Brieris." Randall cocked his hand gun and aimed it at you. "In the name of her majesty, I place you under arrest for conspiracy, drug smuggling, and for the murder of Rachel Phantomhive!"

Ciel's eye widened and he froze. "W-what?"

You opened your eyes and smiled. Randall glanced at Ciel. "And Ciel Phantomhive, you are suspended from all privileges as Head of the Phantomhive's and of Funtom. Until proven guilty, you will be thrusted into being watched and kept in the hands of Scotland yard. That, you cannot refuse, if so, your family name will be shamed and your title will be stripped from you."

"Furthermore, the drug dealer known as "Lau" will be hunted down and executed. Lord Phantomhive, do you confess to the knowledge of Lau's whereabouts or the letter we know you have concealed?"

Ciel was still in shock of the information he just learned, but still put his head down. "No. I can tell you nothing."

Randall snickered. "I would like to push you further on that, but unfortunately her majesty strictly forbids torturing a member of a peer of the realm." He looked at Sebastian. "However, there is no such rules about servants."

He turned the gun back towards you. "Isabella Brieris, you are already convicted of several crimes, do you confess to your master, Ciel Phantomhive, conspiring with the drug trader known as "Lau"? If you refuse, you will not only be arrested, but taken to a highly secure chamber where you will be pushed to your limits and beyond until you admit the true actions of Lord Phantomhive."

The area became quiet as everyone waited in anticipation of what your answer would be. With your smile still on your face, you stood from the driver's eat and jumped off he carriage. You landed in front of Randall and straightened up, still smiling as if mocking him.

"I'm afraid I cannot speak against my master. If you wish to do everything you can to change that, then by all means, don't hold back."

He moved the barrel to your forehead and placed his finger on the trigger. "Is that your final answer?"

Your smile widened. "It is."

Randall scoffed, before looking back at Abberline and the police officers. "Arrest them."

In an instant, your arms were pulled in front of you and metal cuffs were placed on your wrists. From the corner of your eye, you saw the same thing happen to Ciel and Sebastian. Randall stepped into your face with a sneer.

"You're too full of your own pride to realize you've lost. You've been playing that boy since the beginning, if you confess now, you will save yourself a world of hell."

You grinned, showing your teeth. "On the contrary, Sir Arthur. I can't wait to get started."

**. . .**

You obediently followed behind the two officers that pulled you by a chain as Sebastian walked beside you. He was glancing at you, but you kept your head down with the smile still glued to your face. He looked forward as Ciel was pulled and he, along with two more officers passed beside you.

_**'Offer no resistance. When the time is right, I'll call for you both. And then, we will show them what becomes of those who humiliate me. Do you both understand?'** _

While you continued smiling to the ground, you both replied.

_**'Yes, My Lord.'** _

There was a long moment of intense silence, besides the crunching of footsteps, until you heard the angered voice of Sebastian.

**_'You knew all along how this would play out, didn't you?'_ **

You never responded, you just kept smiling and avoided his eyes.

_**'Whatever they plan for me will be like a scratch compared to what they plan for you and you know it.'** _

One of the officers glanced back at you and looked over your form, before smirking at looking back. This action triggered a glare from Sebastian as his fist tightened around the cuffs and you could tell what he was planning to do.

_Patience, my dear crow. Remember the young master's orders._

Although he didn't look at you, you could imagine the look he wanted to give you.

**_'Sir Arthur had mentioned you were guilty for murdering Rachel Phantomhive. Was that an order?'_ **

You laughed inside his head.

 _I did tell you of the soul_ _I_ _gave_ _to my king, yes?_

He visibly narrowed his eyes.

_Sebastian, the torture methods that are about to be used on me will hardly have any affect on me and you know that._

You glanced at him.  _Why are you so bothered with it?_

He had an emotionless look on his face.

**_'Only I am allowed to leave marks on your body.'_ **

Your smile got impossibly wider and you bit your lip to stop it.

"Hold on." The officers stopped walking and you looked up to see you were in front of a building. A very run down building. One officer looked to the other. "That's far enough."

The second officer glanced at you again. "I'll take her to her cell, you take the butler."

"Not without me, you won't."

Hey both turned at the voice of an old man with boils on his face, who was hunched over and wearing an old brown robe. He rose up his dimly lit lantern and looked up. His eyes widened, a big smile spread on his face at the sight of you and Sebastian.

"Ooh, such beautiful specimens you've brought me this evening."

He snorted out a laugh and pulled out a set of keys and jingled them. He then turned and started walking towards the back of the building. "Come on, let's not doddle."

The officers looked at each other, before pulling the both of you by your chains and they followed after the man. There was a staircase behind the building that led down to a padlocked set of double doors. 

As you began walking down the steps towards the doors, you could feel something. A presence was here, and a twisted feeling in your stomach that made you want to vomit. That's what it was. A foul scent that made you sick to your stomach.

Your smile returned as you lifted your head and the small man unlocked the doors. They swung open, and the officers pulled you again to follow. Sebastian was first to enter, and then you. Your eyes illuminated in the darkness as you entered it.

The doors were shut behind you and all there was, was the sound of everyone's feet tapping the stone floor. You continued being pulled and there was the sound of your chains rattling. It brought back memories of your very first torturing.

You were both stopped in between two separate rooms. The small, bald man looked at the officers and pointed into the one on the right. "Put the pretty boy right there. We'll deal with him second."

The first officer nodded and pulled Sebastian towards the room. You turned and watched as Sebastian glanced back at you.

"And you, my dear..." You looked down at the man as he grinned. "I hear you are a murderer. And that you lied to your master when you made his company and continue to lie to his son today about what goes on. They say there's a special place in hell for those that kill, and especially for those that lie."

He snorted and pointed at the room to the left. "Let's put you here. I have some special activities planned for you, sweetheart." You were pulled and led inside the room. In a short minute, you were released from your cuffs, only to be chained down to a wooden table. The bald man cranked the wooden handle attached to it and the table rose up to where it was angled straight up and you were on display for the men in the room. It was quite humiliating, to say the least.

The short man walked towards you and raised a hand towards your chest. "Now...let's get you properly prepared." He tore off the center of your white shirt, which displayed your breasts and corset. He grinned with an exhaled gasp. "Very nice."

You internally rolled your eyes. _Hmph, males._

He reached up further as if praying to you. "In this position, you appear like a goddess to me. Oh, those pretty, pretty red eyes. I can't wait to poke and tear at them." He sighed. "So beautiful, as if you are an angel."

You frowned and narrowed your eyes. _Angel?_

He giggled in excitement and walked away. Randall stepped forward from the dark corner of the room and crossed his arms. "You're going to confess to your crimes eventually. Make it easier on all of us and do it soon, Isabella."

You smirked and chuckled, which echoed in the room. "Certainly. Fine, I do confess. It was my idea to send out the black death in Europe. Didn't take much confessing, he hated humans with a passion anyways, he was all for it happening. He ordered one of hid trusted servants with the task and there you have it."

He snarled. "What? That was over 500 years ago! You think this is some kind of game?!"

"Of course I do." You looked up at him. "That's all this is, after all. Unfortunately, it will be coming to an end soon. So sad to see it after so long."

He huffed and stormed out of the room, while yelling behind him. "Give her all the pain you desire! I want her begging on her knees!"

The short man laughed. "Yes, sir." He picked up a set of pliers from his table of torture instruments and walked closer to you. "I do hope you take your time. If you confess, I won't get to have my fun, you see."

He cupped your chin. "I so would love to stick a hot needle in those pretty eyes. Or perhaps I should burn them out of their sockets?"

He laughed again and opened the pliers. "This is going to be so much fun."


	39. His Maid, Escaping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If your intent is to torture me, you must try must harder than that. The only pain I truly feel is when I have to instruct my master on the concept of dancing. I'm fairly certain the phrase 'two left feet' was invented precisely for him. So a beating or two compared to that... Hmph, all I can do is smirk at your attempts.
> 
> Next time on Black Maid, "His maid, Escaping"
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

The sizzling of the hot poker and the man's excited laughter grew closer as he pointed the sharp, red hot poker to the tip of your eye.

You looked at him from the corner of your eye as he placed the burning metal against the flesh of your cheek. The hot stinging reached beyond the barrier of your flesh and went straight to your bones. But not your soul.

He stood, frowning because he didn't have a satisfying scream of pain. "Oh, we have a tough one, eh?" He pulled it away and some of the flesh stuck to the poker as he did.

"This is good. Now I can try out my new method on you." He snorted and scurried away to somewhere behind you.

You looked over at the door. The pain was nothing. All you could think about was Sebastian, and how he was probably hanging off a wall, chained to it without a care in the world. He must have been having a grand time.

The man stepped closer to you with a sheet covering something. He grinned. "I have been wanting to try this for so long. But there was no one truly worthy of this pain, but you, sweetie, you will definitely be an exception." 

He removed the sheet to reveal a cage of rats. The rats themselves were dirty, scrounging for anything they could find. They were hungry. He reached a finger out to pet one, but it shrieked and instead tried to bite his finger off. He caressed the cage with pride and walked closer to you.

"They haven't eaten in days and they're starving." He placed the cage on your bare stomach. Yes, bare. He had removed your corset over an hour ago. Now, you knew why. He grabbed the bottom of the cage and looked at you eagerly. "They've been trapped for longer. They want to get out now. And the only way to freedom is quite literally through you, lovely."

You glanced down as he removed the bottom and the rats fell onto your stomach's skin. You narrowed your eyes at them. "Rats..." One screeched at you and your jaw clenched when your eyes turned demonic and you hissed back. It cowered and they all sat down obediently.

Hm, rodents. Always inferior to cats. 

"Huh? What is this?" He banged on the cage, which made it wobble on your stomach. "My, you've managed to tame my rats...interesting..." He reached over and picked up the hot poker. He placed it back in the open fire for a few seconds, then grinned and held it right by the cage. "But what if it gets a little too hot to handle, hm?" He touched the bars of the cage with the poker and the rats screeched. They began clawing and digging at your flesh, in a desperate attempt to leave and travel through your innards to freedom.

However, your angered annoyance had overpowered their determination. Whether it's human or not, these small minded creatures, they will always look for every way to escape their fate. Even if it is inevitable. 

Your eyes glowed demonic again and you lifted your body an inch up. The poker unexpectedly bursted into flames, lighting both the cage and it's occupants on fire. The tiny squealing of their screams filled the room and it made you smirk in amusement.

He backed away, staring in surprise and horror. "Why...how could this happen?" He stared at your amusement, and after a few seconds, began to laugh. He was laughing uncontrollably, like a mad man. "Oh...such a shame. I guess I'll have to come up for something special to truly make you beg."

He snorted in laughter. "But for now, I'll just take my time elsewhere. On the nice, pretty boy. I bet he'll be more fun." He gravely laughed and scurried off out of the room. Once the door shut, you lifted your stomach up again with more force and the cage, along with the roasted corpses, fell off.

You sighed in boredom and closed your eyes. Your gloved hands tapped the chains around your wrists as you hummed.

"I can't even begin to tell you how much this position of yours pleases me, Abigail."

Your eyes opened as the handle cranked and the table moved upwards and stopped. You looked up at the woman wearing white. You smiled at her, especially at the very revealing outfit she was wearing.

"My, did you dress up just for me? I feel very special now."

She smiled and walked closer. "Just look at you. Your mother would simply die if she saw you in such a vulnerable state. Half naked, chained to a table, and your stomach torn to pieces."

"Oh, it's just a few scratches and bite marks. Small wounds from small minded creatures. The pain is meaningless and it will mean even less, now that you're here."

"Really?" She reached inside of her corset and walked closer to you to where she was mere centimeters from your face. She smirked and pulled out two large viles. "Well, lets put that to the test."

Your smiled dropped at the red liquid that filled the viles. "I picked it off this human. I believe his name was "John Stanley"? Then again, they all look the same to me. I made sure it was fresh and I kept it special for this moment. For us."

You frowned as she grabbed your chin and tilted it up. She stared at your throat. "I hear you don't like souls anymore. That this is all you feed on. I wonder. It has pieces of the soul within it, yes, but it could never compare to the sweet taste of a fresh, ripe human soul."

She looked up at your eyes. "It must be true torture. I'm curious as to why you starve yourself like this?"

You stayed silent and she smiled. "Ah... could it be because you want to forget about what you are? In hell, you accepted the corruption. It makes your blood boil just by being called by your god given name, and you are easily amused by the minds of humans."

She let go of your chin. "So, tell me, did you say to your master or his son what would happen if you did consume a soul after all these years? No? How about your mate? Surely, you must've." She laughed. "I bet you haven't even told your precious king."

"What is your goal here?" She was taken back as you leaned your face down to hers. "It isn't just to enjoy the site of me being tortured. No. You came here for a different reason."

Her lips curled. "You always were a clever one." She sighed. "But I don't want to see that little smirk on your perfect face when I tell you. So..." She grabbed your face again and forced your mouth open. You could only make strangled noises as she opened a vile and poured the entire tube of dead man's blood down your throat.

You screamed in pain and agony as it stung, as if it was acid being forced down you. You were choking when she released you, but the effects were just starting. Angela watched in amusement, before walking around you.

"I want to give you another chance to redeem yourself."

Your eyes stung as you blinked back tears and you felt the blood building back up, climbing the walls of your throat.

"You aren't a demon, you are just playing the ideal role of one. There will always be a chance for the human part of you to take over. All you need is to feed."

Your chest began to burn and your face turned red with heat as the blood began spilling from your mouth, and you coughed it out, because it was difficult to breathe.

"Unlike before, all those years ago, you have weaknesses now. Two, you serve as a slave. And one, well, you gladly become a slave to him as long as he rewards you for it."

The remaining blood was dripping from your lips now, and you glanced up at her. "You haven't answered me."

She stopped walking in circles and chuckled to herself. She turned around and pulled out a whip that she smacked against the ground. "I want you to give your self to me."

She stepped closer. "You have more power than you could possibly imagine. You just have to give in to it. I can give you as much souls as you want, you will become a being of great power. And then, we could make them bow to us and you will never be a slave again. All I ask is that you cease your attempts of stopping me, let go of the Phantomhive Earls, forget your mate, abandon your name, and let me take you."

She wrapped her arms around your waist and smiled into your naked flesh. She looked up at you and rested her chin between your breasts. "Just let me have you, and I will be your slave."

Silence filled the room. Your head was down, your hair falling in your face as the blood continued to fall to the floor. You smirked. 

"You're intimidated by me."

She gasped as you opened your eyes. "You know how easy and how close I am to defeating you. That is why you want to take me, and use me for your own selfish reasons." She tried to back away, but you pushed her with your bare leg and she was slammed against the brick wall. You kept your restricted foot on her chest and rose it up to her lips.

"Look at you. You've resulted to begging. While I am the one chained in place, you don't seem to understand who is truly the prisoner here." You leaned your head forward and smiled. "Don't you see? You are already my slave."

Her eyes narrowed as her wings spread out and she struck you through your stomach and on the side of your arm. Your leg dropped and she growled.

"We'll see who's smirking when your mate is begging for mercy."

. . .

 

The metal door slammed shut. Heels clicked against the floor as the person passed by the sleeping bald man and gazed up at the person chained to the wall.

"You paint quite a picture, Sebastian."

The male rose his head up and frowned once his name was said. It was covered with cuts, along with his exposed built abdomen and solid chest.

She hummed. "So this is how far you'll go. To be loyal to the master who put you here."

He smirked. "Between young lord and myself, such are the terms of our contract."

She frowned and swung her whip, which smacked against the floor. She laughed. "You don't look so good. But at least you look better compared to the foolish mate of yours across from you."

His smirk widened. "You mean I'm not the first to have been graced with your presence? How wounding."

She laughed again as she walked closer. "Don't put on a little act for me. I know you heard her screams."

"Yes, I cannot deny that." He frowned and closed his eyes. "I know those screams anywhere." He opened them and glared at her. "However, they are usually my doing."

She scoffed to herself. "Such impure actions. A real shame she actually gave in to your sinful sweet talking. Her body betrayed her mind. Though, the image of the blood she was choking on that followed after her screams was most satisfying."

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm having a little difficulty picturing that. Isabella isn't some weak human, she would never..."

He trailed off when she held up two large viles. And one was filled to the rim with red liquid while the other had been recently emptied. His eyes widened.

She chuckled. "I assume by the look on your face, you know what this is. It's interesting, why would this, out of all things, be her weakness? Someone with as much power as she, you would think this would be nothing."

His hands balled into fists as he kept his head down and the room grew darker. Angela sighed and walked closer to where she was directly in front of him.

"Enough about her. Let's focus on your master. The boy must be gnashing is teeth right now, don't you think?" She used the handle of the whip to tilt his chin up and he would look at her. "Having been shown his own powerlessness."

He forced a smile as he glared daggers at her. "Yes, I imagine that you're right." She moved the handle as he leaned forward. "However, that won't hold him back. Even if his pawns are taken away from him, forever."

"He will never pull out of the game. That is my master's nature." He smirked at her. "You should know that."

She smiled in curiosity. "Why not just admit your own nature and start acting on your own desires? This is harder on you than you're saying. How long has it been, Sebastian? Since you've last devoured the soul of a human? And now, you're injured as well. You must be beyond ravenous by now."

She turned her entire body to him and smirked. "Shall we make a deal, then?" She moved the whip up his abdomen to his chest. "The true doomsday will come in due time. And I can give you all the souls you like." She harshly pushed his chin up. "All you have to do is hand over that mate of yours. She won't listen to reason and won't give herself to me. I just need you to convince her. You are the only one she will listen to because you are the only one she trusts."

He closed his eyes. "I believe I will decline." She stepped back as his voice turned soft. "My hunger grows weary  of simple, unclean souls. I hunger the taste of my young master, alone." He opened his eyes and she gasped at the darkness within them. "Still, my craving for the feel of my kitten when she is in my embrace, the soft noises and the purrs she makes. That feeling will always overpower my hunger. A soul is a soul, but my mate is mine. For all eternity."

She clenched her teeth and turned away. "Well, it seems our negotiations have been broken off. Neither of you will listen to reason. Such a shame!" She turned back and her whip slashed the side of his face. 

A small noise of pain escaped, followed by more as she continuously whipped him.

"Ye unclean! Ye unnecessary! Ye unwanted!"

. . .

 

Blood was slowly oozing out of numerous wounds in your face, arm and stomach, a small but relentless flow of crimson, but however, you felt no pain. A part of you found the entire situation amusing. This entire case, it was a scheme to have Ciel arrested, to separate you from him and Sebastian just so she could have her fun.

"Ye unclean! Ye unnecessary! Ye unwanted!"

You felt your heart beat twice as faster as you heard Sebastian's muffled grunts of pain.

"Parish and be cleansed! The pain you feel is God's purifying fire!"

Every word stung only fueling the fire that burned inside of you. Though it wasn't you it was being said to, every violated phrase was like gasoline to it, your fists began to clench and your jaw rooted. 

"Offer your blood for your sin!"

When the final mento had been added to the coke inside of you, you exploded with anger, with no control the chains that kept you bound had shattered and you dropped to the floor on your knees. You lifted your head up and your eyes flashed demonic.

"Someone is harming what is mine."

. . . 

 

Angela was relentless in whipping him. Blood oozed out of every scratch that was seered into his flesh. He didn't show any reaction, he instead watched it happen as his body shook from the force of the pain.

That was when all the candles lighting the room blew out. Angela ceased her whipping and looked around. "What?!"

The door creaked open and bloody, scarred feet stepped inside the room. Sebastian looked up and his eyes had widened at your body. Despite the bloody scratches and scars, he saw the dried blood remaining on your chin and chest. Your exposed chest. He saw your mid-section that was torn by teeth marks, and he saw the large opened gash on your arm. By seeing this, his eyes had turned to his dark side.

Angela turned and laughed in surprise. "I'm glad you could join us. It's a miracle you can even walk after the dose I put inside of you. Did you come for more?"

Your eyes were still glowing fuischa. They were staring at the state of Sebastian. His shirt was ripped open and exposing his chest. There were scars and fresh whip marks covering every inch. There was even more on his emotionless face.

Angela chuckled in amusement and smacked her whip against the floor. "Look at you, disobeying your master. You really are a terrible servant. Well, what are you waiting for? Get angry, kill me, reunite with your mate and go off to bathe each other in impurity."

The room was filled with suspenseful silence as they both stared, waiting for you to attack. You stood still, not showing your true thoughts on your face. Angela gripped her whip, prepared to use it fully while Sebastian kept trying to make you reveal what you were going to do.

You closed your eyes and sank to your knees, before bending over, straightening your arms as you flattened your palms on the surface and bowed your head.

Angela gasped as Sebastian's eyes widened. "What-What are you doing?"

You stayed silent and turned your wrists around, then opened your palms. Neither of your contract marks were glowing and were barely visible.

"I am powerless. My master's soul is no longer with me. Ciel's contract is void as long as I do not have him in my possession." You barely lifted up your head and your eyes glowed through your hair. "I have no meaning, no purpose here." You looked back to the ground. "I am your slave."

She smacked the whip on the ground and glared at you. "Is this another one of your games? Don't make me out as a fool."

Your voice turned soft. "This is no game and I play no tricks. I am yours to have."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "Isabella, stop. This is no time to go rogue."

You closed your palms. "I offer myself. I only ask for one thing in return."

She frowned in suspicion. "What?"

You brought your hands to your chest. "Do not target Ciel again." Your teeth clenched. "Leave him be. And never touch what belongs to me ever again."

She looked back at Sebastian and smirked to herself, before kneeling down and lifting your chin up. She smiled.

"Abigail... I never wanted your servitude."

You kept your head down as you looked up to her. "But I accept your offer."

She cracked her whip and in a moment, you felt it snap across your back. Then again, and again, and again. You winced each time, but kept your eyes on Sebastian, who desperately wanted to break off his chains.

'What the hell are you thinking? Don't let her control you, Isabella.'

You curled up into a ball to shield yourself.

This pain means nothing. Sebastian...when the young master calls, I need you to take my corset. You will need what's inside of it.

'I refuse to leave you in this state.'

It isn't a decision for you to make. Just do it.

Angela was finally satisfied and ceased her whipping. She was smiling to herself as she walked to the door and disappeared. "Let's go, Abigail."

You stood up. As you did, your legs felt like jell-o and your vision went momentarily fuzzy. You felt your legs give out and your head was thrown back as your body went weak and you felt it collide with the floor. The last thing you could make out was Sebastian screaming your name in your head, before everything went to your favorite color.

. . .

 

'Isabella, Sebastian, I order you. Come and save me now!"

You woke up to an ear splitting sound. Your eyes opened up and you found yourself laying up against the brick wall of a building and you knew you were in the town's center. You managed to stand up and you were met with the back of a person. A person wearing white.

He stood, watching like a hawk, down below at the black carriage that was surrounded by unconscious thugs and in the center was Ciel, yelling at Sebastian.

"Gone? What do you mean she's gone?! She wouldn't just leave like that! I ordered her not to resist!"

Sebastian kept his head down and his voice was cold. "She didn't. She instead, gave in."

Ciel went up on his toes to grab a hold of Sebastian's coat collar and shake him.

"What do mean she gave in? Gave in to what?!"

Sebastian's jaw clenched. "Master. She departed with the angel."

Ciel's breath hitched as he pulled away and stepped back. He paced around, then stopped and glared at Sebastian. "What happened, exactly? Tell me. I want to know everything."

Ash chuckled and turned to you. "I'm glad you're awake to see this." He looked back to them. "Just look at him. He's chasing his own tail like a lost puppy. You were right to leave him."

You ignored Ash and watched Ciel's reaction to Sebastian's explanation. He stood there, wide eyes, unmoving. He was in shock.

"So, what you're saying is she left willingly. She...She just left me, went against our contract." He ran a hand through his hair. "She betrayed me."

Sebastian's lips pressed together. "No. I don't know her reasons for leaving, but I know she does have a plan." He reached into his breast pocket and held up your red ring. "She told me to take this and it would aid us in defeating our enemy." 

Ciel took the ring from Sebastian and stared at it. "I know this... I've seen this before." He sighed and handed it back to Sebastian. "Keep it safe for now. That aside, we need to pursue Lau. What good is a pawn if they defy the one who rules?"

Sebastian lightly smirk. "And what of Isabella? Isn't she defying your rules, master?"

Ciel narrowed his eyes. "She isn't relevant to this. We need to find Lau and stop him."

Sebastian frowned. "Are you certain about this? You won't be able to take back this order."

You looked to the side when Abberline popped up from the driver's seat with surprise in his eyes. 

"Ciel!"

Ciel looked over at him and frowned. "You should keep your distance from me. If you want to live. My place is in the shadow, yours in the light. We walk different paths, Abberline. It's best you remember that."

He then turned and began walking the opposite direction towards the docks. "Come on. First, we deal with Lau. Then, we find out what's so special about this ring. We find Isabella and we end this -  once and for all."

As they walked away, Ash looked to you with a smirk. "Well? Would you like to see what happens next?"

. . .

You were glaring at Ash suspiciously. "I'm curious, Ash."

He hummed, but didn't look at you. "About what?

You glanced down at your clothes. "When I went unconscious, all I had on was a garder, stockings, a torn white shirt and a skirt. When I awoke, I was fully clothed in a freshly clean Phantomhive uniform."

"And your point?"

You sucked your teeth and looked back at the ship. "Oh, it's nothing." Huh. Such a gentlemen.

You were both observing, watching the show of Ran Mao versus Sebastian. But the fight didn't last long. Thunder crackled as Ran Mao fell back on the boards of the deck with blood oozing from her mouth. Sebastian's shoes stomping towards her was drowned out by the pounding of the rain.

He pulled down his gloves and looked down at her. "Your small body houses magnificent reserves of power. However in the end, just a human. We could call an end to this now."

She struggled to sit up. "No. No end."

"Sebastian!" 

Your vision shifted to Ciel as he ran out of the smoke that covered the deck. Lau walked out behind him, while noticeably holding a sword, and smiled. "I never thought I'd see Ran Mao's strength pushed this far. It just proves what I've always suspected." He looked to Sebastian. "You're not truly human, are you butler?"

Sebastian smirked. "You may believe what you like. I am simply one hell of a butler."

You felt your self smile as Lau laughed. "Interesting...I never knew there was another one such as you around here. All this time, I believed Isabella was the only one."

Ciel's head whipped around to him. "What?"

Lau then went on about something with butterflies and you tuned him out. But that was before Ran Mao had charged at Ciel with her blade. Lau gasped and actually mad ethe effort to try and stop her.

"Ran Mao, No! Remember our deal with Vincent Phan-"

He was cut off with splattered sounds of the blade running through a body. Ciel gasped. "You fool!"

Ran Mao frowned. "Your in my way, inspector." Abberline collapsed to the ground with the blade still through his stomach. 

As Ran Mao went to swing again, Lau ran in front of her as Sebastian caught the blade. He pulled it from her hands and threw it to the side, before slicing his arm across Lau, due to him moving n front of Ran Mao.

He stepped back and collapsed into Ran Mao's arms. "Well done, my lord..."

Ciel stepped forward. "Why, Lau?!"

"The game is over...I never did have what it took to play the game." In the blink of an eye, they were gone.

Ciel focused back on Abberline, who was on the verge of dying and knelt down to him. "Hold on, Abberline!"

He weakly smiled and cupped Ciel's cheek. "I...I'm glad that you're safe, Ciel. I-I was wrong, Ciel. You...You can have your family."

Your teeth clenched. Ciel looked at him in confusion. "No, no I can't. What are you saying?"

"How foolish." You glanced at Ash, who was frowning. "He was a foolish man."

You looked back to see that Abberline was already gone. Ciel let out a scream and when Sebastian walked up behind him, he turned and stood up.

"Mas-" He was cut off by the sound of Ciel's hand colliding with his cheek and it honestly made you gasp.

"You didn't hold up your end of the bargain. I was in danger, you did nothing, Abberline is dead."

"Because you weren't in any danger. I knew in that moment that Abberline would use his body to shiel-"

He was cut off again, by Ciel slapping him. H elooked at him with a frown as Ciel turned around.

"Isabella...Isabella would never let that happen." He looked back down at Abberline's body.

Sebastian looked up and your face went blank once he caught sight of you. And of the angel beside of you.

"Yes...Fool."


	40. His Maid, Standing By

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One second, I need to adjust myself. Ah, this atmosphere is so thick, I can hardly breathe like a human for much longer. Normally I wouldn't, but unfortunately, the human across from me would most likely be horrified from it.
> 
> Next Time on Black Maid: "His Maid, Standing By"
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

Ciel sat at his desk, staring. Not at the paperwork scattered across it. Not at the chocolate cake beside his tea in front of him. Not at the unfinished tower of cards, either. He was staring at the ring.

The ring left to him by his maid. The maid that had left him, abandoned him to stay with the Angel that killed his parents. But he didn't even care about that.

He looked up from the ring. "Have you found anything?"

Sebastian stood in the darkness surrounding the corner of the room with his face clear of any emotion. "No. There has been no word from the Queen and no-one has witnessed seeing anyone fitting Isabella's description."

Ciel sighed. "I've always seen her wear this. I've never thought twice about it. But...there is something familiar about it."

Sebastian looked to the side and became deep in thought. _I hate to even think of it, but I know as much about her as the servants in this manor do. All I know is that she is a demon, a feline at that, and can be a complete tease when nobody is watching. Because of that, there is only one person who knows her better than anyone else in England._

Ciel looked up by hearing Sebastian clear his throat. "Master, there is someone who can tell us the origin of this ring. Perhaps even the whereabouts of Isabella."

Ciel rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me..."

**. . .**

The sounds of humming filled the building. The origin of it was reading a coffin catalog and turned the page. "Ooh, that looks lovely." He circled a black one with silver carvings from the pen beside him and grabbed another bone-shaped biscuit.

When the bell rang, signaling the entrance of a customer, he held up a finger as he finished chewing on it. "Just a moment, please." He took a couple more bites and swallowed, then sat up and looked towards the entrance.

He grinned once he saw Ciel, but frowned when he realized the only person shadowing him was his butler.

Ciel walked closer to the coffin he was sitting in. "Undertaker, I'm glad you're here."

Said person was still frowning and stood up from the coffin and stepped out. He kept his arms at his sides as he walked to the counter. "Lord Phantomhive. What could you possibly need this time?"

Ciel was taken back at the slightly annoyed tone in his voice, but still stepped forward. "I need you to tell me what you know..." He reached into his pocket and held up the ring. "About this."

Undertaker stopped and stared directly at the ring, then scoffed under his breath. "So...she's finally doing it."

He glanced at Sebastian as Ciel furrowed his brows. "Doing what?"

Undertaker continued to stare at Sebastian, then looked at Ciel, turned and walked towards the back. "This way, now. Follow me."

Sebastian looked to Ciel, who quickly walked towards Undertaker, then silently followed behind. They followed Undertaker to the very back of the parlor, where a large body preparation table stood in the center of the room. They stopped when Undertaker placed a pot of tea down on it, along with the plate of biscuits.

Ciel looked down in disgust. "That...That is disg-"

"Have a seat, milord." Undertaker was already sitting and waiting expectantly. Sebastian pulled out a chair for him and he hesitantly sat down. Sebastian poured the tea as Undertaker held out his hand to Ciel. Ciel looked down at it, then placed the ring inside of it.

Undertaker held it up and studied it. "I haven't been this close to it in about 20 years or so. I'm curious as to how you have it. Isabella never lets it come off her finger."

Ciel crossed his arms and leaned back. "She removed it herself. She left it in her corset and told Sebastian to retrieve it for our personal use."

Undertaker was staring at Ciel, then he stood up and turned to Sebastian.

"Tell me, butler. How bad did it turn for Isabella to have to result for leaving this behind? I imagine quite terribly, considering this here ring...without it, she would be bound in chains and pulled by a leash that belongs to that...king."

Sebastian's lips formed into a frown as he looked Undertaker in the eye. "I do hope you aren't inquiring I wasn't able to keep Isabella from leaving with the Angel. That would be a major insult to my role here."

Undertaker rose up his hands in a slow dramatic way. "Oh, now why would I say that? I am only stating the facts here. Maybe you are just not telling us everything."

Undertaker's voice was getting louder now, and he slammed the ring on the table.

"You were with her the entire time. When exactly did she remove this ring?"

Ciel, who was watching their banter with wide eye, looked at Sebastian and awaited his answer.

He looked to the side.

_Flashback..._

_Your jaw clenched as you slid the ring off your finger and slipped it into your collar. You felt it fall beneath your shirt and into your corset. You turned your head to Sebastian, who was still glancing at you curiously, and you gave the smallest of smiles._

"Before she had removed it, she seemed to be having a conversation with someone and she looked almost...guilty and proud of it as well."

Undertaker sat back in his chair and pulled his hat over eyes. "That's not a surprise to me. She must've noticed you watching, so, what did she say?"

He looked up at Undertaker and as he spoke, was clear of any emotion for the words he was repeating to hide the true emotions he felt from them.

"She confessed something to me. She seemed convinced it would be the only time she could. Before I could question it further, Inspector Abberline had apprehended us."

Ciel went quiet once that was said, but he stood up and glared at Undertaker.

"This is a waste of time. If you won't tell us what you know, then you are of no use to me."

Undertaker only spun the ring on the table.

"Did she act unusually happy at all?"

Ciel's words stopped as Sebastian narrowed his eyes. "How could you have known that?"

He grinned and glanced up at them. "The same reason you came to me. I know her better than you do."

His fists tightened as Undertaker stood up. "And what I know is that you came to the wrong person."

He tossed the ring back to Ciel, who caught it. "What?"

"I don't know anything about that little piece of jewelry there. Come back when you want Abigail's origin story."

And with that, he laughed to himself and disappeared into the darkness of a separate back room.

Ciel looked after him. "Abigail?"

Sebastian looked down in thought. "As I recall, the Angel had called her that. Perhaps it was Isabella's human name. Her true birth name."

Ciel hummed and looked down at the ring. He stared for a few seconds and wasn't aware Sebastian had been holding his coat out to him.

Sebastian looked down at him. "Master?"

As Ciel stared, his eye widened and he shot up from his chair. Sebastian placed the coat on his shoulders and Ciel was practically running to the front door. Sebastian was hit on his trail as he flung the door open.

"I know who we need to see."

Sebastian opened the carriage door for him and he quickly stepped inside. Sebastian came in also and Ciel banged on the roof.

"Take me home, now!"

"Yes, sir." And with that, the horses were off and the carriage sped down the road.

Sebastian rose an eyebrow. "Eager to get home, aren't you?"

Ciel leaned forward and showed him the ring. "Look closely. Do you see anything familiar on it?"

Sebastian took the ring from his fingers and inspected it closely. For a good minute, he was turning it and looking in detail.

"The band of the ring has an engraving on it. A family crest as it seems."

Ciel nodded his head and looked at said crest. "Its The Phantomhive crest."

He rested his chin on his knuckles and looked out the window. "Sebastian, why would this ring hand crafted by a person of my family be on the finger of my maid and I would never know of of its existance?"

Sebastian hummed and sat back. "Perhaps the person who made it wanted it to stay on her finger. It would be created to never exist in the first place."

Ciel tapped his fingers on his cane. "Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it wasn't the person who made it, but rather the person who ordered it."

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. "The only person who could order it would be the head of the family."

He chuckled. "But at that time, the head was alive. And now, there is a new one. Besides Isabella, who has been there long enough to know everything about Funtom?"

Ciel kept staring out the window. "We need to get back to the manor."

**. . .**

Crying. Screaming. Begging.

That was what you woke up to. The sounds of someone crying, screaming, and begging for their life.

It made your stomach growl, but you didn't move from your spot. You were too weak to move. The amount of blood forced into you took a much bigger impact than you wanted it to and you didn't have anything to feed off of. This was what she wanted after all.

Weaken you. Starve you. Make sure you would devour anything she would give you. Most likely, that would be a human soul. And it looks like you were right.

A blood-curdling scream rang out, along with the smell of blood. It made your stomach growl to the point you felt the hunger clawing its way up inside of you.

She was smirking at you. She was enjoying every minute of it.

"You aren't holding back, are you?"

You couldn't even respond. Your eyelids were half closed and all you saw was her legs. The white dress that was covering them flickered and soon changed into white slacks. The legs walked closer to you and your chin was lifted up.

Ash was still smirking even after his sex change and leaned in closer to whisper while just barely grazing your lips.

"I hope not. I want you to go deep in. I wish I could be here to see it, but unfortunately the Queen's butler has his duties to attend to." He traced your lips with his finger. "But when I return, I can't wait to taste what you have inside of you. I can hardly wait, Kitty."

He stood and all you could make out were the sounds of his feet taping away and out of the cage.

"I want chicken, I want liver, Angela, Ash, please deliver."

Cranking sounded and the cage shook. A door was opened up and the begging became louder.

"N-No, please! Let me go, please!"

The female voice came with the person as a young girl was thrown in. Your brows furrowed once you made out the nun outfit she was wearing. She was pushed fully inside and the door was slammed closed. She turned and banged on it.

"Please! The Lord will have mercy on you if you confess your sins and write over your wrong doings! Angels will weep for your horrible deeds until you make them right!"

Oh, there was so much irony in that single sentence it almost made you laugh.

She whipped around once she realized she wasn't alone. Her eyes widened while you wanted to roll yours.

_You cannot be serious right now._

A big smile spread on her face. "I-It's you! You were part of that convent with the small boy, that red head fellow, and that...um...really handsome man, weren't you?"

_Please, dear Satan, tell me I am just hallucinating or something._

"Isabella, right? Oh! Thank the Lord you are all right!"

AS she was about to run over and pull me into a hug, your head snapped over to her once you could smell blood. There was a large scrap on your leg, along with a scratch on her forearm. Your stomach growled again.

You clenched your teeth. "If you value your life, I would advise not to come any closer."

She froze and awkwardly rubbed her arm. "O-Oh, okay."

You plopped your head on your knees. Damn. Damn. Damn! I wanted her life gone enough as it is because of her...little...massage. Now I have to resist the urge to kill her even more?! Damn!

You closed your eyes and leaned your head against the cage, but cracked your eyes open to stare directly at the blood seeping through her leg.

_This is going to be more difficult than I thought._

**. . .**

Ciel ran into the kitchen with Sebastian behind him. The servants looked up from their card game.

Bard took out his cigar. "Hey look, they're back."

Finny smiled. "Master, you're home!"

Ciel was catching his breath as he held on to the doorway. "N...Never mind...that. Where is Tanaka?"

Mey-Rin pointed behind them. "Oh, I think he said he was going to leave something on your desk, master."

Without another word, Ciel sighed and ran back out of the room, down the hall to his study with Sebastian following behind. Ciel was close to dying as he collapsed on the wooden door and reached for the knob.

"My lord, look."

Ciel looked at Sebastian, who was looking towards the room down the hall. It was Tanaka. And he was walking into your room.

Ciel watched in confusion. "Come on."

Sebastian had reached the door first. Ciel nodded and he turned the knob. The door swung open to reveal Tanaka standing outside on the balcony. Without a word, he turned around and smiled.

"My lord, I see you've returned."

Ciel stepped in front of Sebastian. "Why are you in here?"

He rose his eyebrows. "Oh, some things I needed to take care of. It's nothing to concern you, my lord. It's something personal between Isabella and myself."

Ciel's eye widened. "Isabella?"

Tanaka walked back inside and shut the doors to the outside behind him. "Is there something you need, sir?"

Ciel stared at him for a moment, then reached into his pocket and walked closer to him. He held out the ring to Tanaka. "I want to know everything that you know about this ring."

By looking at it, Tanaka gave a warm smile and delicately took it from Ciel. "My, my. After all these years, its beauty certainly still shines." He glanced down at Ciel and sat himself on the bed. "I'm sure you know this ring is property to the owner of this room. It was also a gift by the original creator of this manor."

Ciel had moved to sit beside him. "You mean my father had given this to Isabella as a gift?"

He nodded while still smiling. "Yes. After she had aided him on his very first case for her majesty, it was a gift to her for all she was willing to do for him. But this here ring is special. It was specially crafted for her." He let out a laugh and nudged Ciel's arm. "Frankly, I think he was actually quite taken with her and this was a little something to express how he felt."

Ciel's, along with Sebastian's entire beings had froze up. Ciel rose up a finger that pointed at him. "W-What? Y-You believe that my father had....had feelings for..."

Tanaka laughed at their reactions. "Well I wouldn't be surprised. Just look at her. She does have a sort of power for wooing the males around her. Then again, I suppose that is due to her other species."

That last sentence had made the entire room go quiet. It made the mood in the air change from curious and light hearted to suspicious and serious. Sebastian was now frowning as he stared at Tanaka and Ciel was laughing.

"What do you mean by that?"

Tanaka only smiled again and looked at him. "Forgive my boldness sir, but I have always known of the deal between Isabella and the previous head of this family."

Ciel's laughter died as Tanaka stood up and his gaze shifted to Sebastian. "Along with the deal between Sebastian and you, my lord."

Ciel's smile had completely fallen as he stood up. "You shouldn't be smiling. You should know what comes next."

Tanaka only laughed at their seriousness. "Come now, I've been here for years. I will admit once Isabella had found out, she completely threatened me with my life if I ever told anyone."

Ciel narrowed his eyes. "And did you?"

His smile faltered. "No. Why an old chap like myself, who could I possibly tell?" He looked down at Ciel and bowed his head. "My lord, I have sworn to protect and serve the Phantomhive family ever since I was a child. Your father was a great man who kept me even when I wasn't needed. Who am I to judge or question the choices he made? Who am I to do the same to you? Your business is your own, but I do like to be notified the things that go on in this manor."

He looked back to Sebastian and walked over to him. "That is what makes a Phantomhive servant, is it not?"

After a few seconds, a smile had appeared on Sebastian's face. "I imagine you are right."

Tanaka held out the ring to him. "You need to hold onto this until Isabella returns to us. I think she told you to wield it for a reason, Sebastian. You should honor that, for her."

Ciel crossed his arms. "Isabella had told him this would aid us I defeating the enemy."

"When the time is right, it will."

Sebastian took it from his fingers and Tanaka gave another smile, before turning, bowing his head, and waling out of the room. "Now if you will excuse me, I think I'll go have a chat with our quality control for the newest shipping of Funtom candies."

Once he had left, Ciel let out a sigh. "Well that was definatly a surprise, I must say." He glanced at Sebastian, then walked to the door. "See what you can do about that ring, I'm going to send a letter to her majesty about our progress. Come to my study if anything happens."

Sebastian bowed his head. "As you wish, my lord."

The door shut and Sebastian straightened up. He stared down at the ring for what seemed like forever, before he walked over to the side table next to the bed and placed the ring on the gloves that were neatly folded.

He took the moment to look around the room, considering it was the first time he had ever entered your room. "Interesting taste in style my kitten has."

After he had his fill in looking at the room, he walked to the door. Just as his hand had reached for the knob and it made the motion to turn it, a voice stopped him.

"She decorated it herself."

He hadn't turned around at the voice he had never heard before. The person it had belonged to placed his tea cup on its saucer and set it down on the table.

"I never gave her permission, but naturally, she didn't ask. But I must say, she does have a unique liking for things. She did have relations with you, after all."

Sebastian still didn't turn around. "You speak as if you know her quite well."

The man hummed and crossed his legs. "Yes, well I have been inside of her. Her head, her mind. I have actually had a glimpse at her soul. That's not something everyone can do. I don't have the luxury of bragging about it, but you'll do."

Sebastian let go of the handle. "How exactly did you do that?"

The man smirked. "All in good time. This whole game, you've been obeying and moving where he has told you to go. Sometimes the only moves you can make go against the orders you are given. Isabella has shown me that."

The man rested his cheek in the palm of his hand. "Face me as the man you portray as, Sebastian."

There was a long, awaiting silence. Sebastian's feet moved back and his body turned around. What Sebastian saw made his eyes partially widen.

"If you haven't figured it out, I am Isabella's true master."

He tapped his ring against the glass of champagne in his hand and smiled. "I am Vincent, previous Earl of Phantomhive."


	41. His Maid, Dealing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are times when certain situations, emotions, feelings are beyond our control. A majority of times, you are simply very, very hungry. And you really need to quench that hunger, or you may just turn into something more of a rampaging monster.
> 
> Next Time on Black Maid, "His Maid, Dealing"
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

The room was still. The entire atmosphere had turned. Sebastian's entire form froze up, his eyes wide as he stared at Vincent.

All the while, Vincent was sipping his champagne and smiling in amusement.

"Well don't just stand there, Sebastian. I've been waiting quite a while to meet you personally. Isabella has been my only person of conversation for nearly 3 years now."

He leaned forward and pushed the tea cup and saucer towards him, then sat back in his chair.

"Go on. Pull up a chair, have some tea, we have much to discuss, you may as well get comfortable."

Sebastian cleared his throat and his fists opened and closed as he walked forward and sat down in the empty chair by the table. He stared down at his reflection in the dark red liquid. He then looked up at Vincent.

Vincent rose an eyebrow. "Not thirsty? It's rude to not take what someone offers you. But, as one hell of a butler, you should know that."

Sebastian glanced back at the liquid. "Apologies, my lord, but that of which consumed by a human, it isn't of my taste."

A smirk twitched at his lips. "My, who ever said this was for human consumption?"

Sebastian looked at it curiously.

"Why don't you just give it a taste? If it helps, Isabella loves enjoying a few cups of it with me all the time."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "Pardon my suspicions, but how do I know that isn't falsely said?"

He tilted his head in boredom. "Please, honestly, even if I wanted to I wouldn't try anything to displease you. As long as Isabella actually cares for you, you have my word that I won't try anything."

He sighed. "Just drink it."

Sebastian looked between him and the cup, then finally picked it up and put it to his lips. Once he opened them and the liquid poured onto his taste buds, his eyes went wide and he tipped the cup so more poured down his throat. He hadn't even realized he began chugging the liquid, until it was empty and Vincent was chuckling.

"I take it it's to your liking after all?"

Sebastian licked his lips and looked to him. "That was..."

He rose an eyebrow. "Satisfying?"

Sebastian frowned. "Blood. Fresh blood. It tastes exactly like like the blood of a pure, delicious soul. As if it was..."

Vincent's amusement quickly fell from his face. "As if it were from Ciel's soul? Is that what you want to say?"

Sebastian didn't answer and only frowned. "And from where did this come from? From whom does it belong?"

Vincent drank the last of his champagne. "Nobody. Here, whatever you desire, you can have over and over again."

He snapped his fingers and the glass instantly filled to the rim with champagne. He took a sip and sighed in satisfaction.

"I will always miss the taste of a fresh, bubbly champagne. And you, Isabella, your desires for delectable human souls...here, they can be satisfied."

Sebastian tapped his fingers on the table. "And where exactly is here? I wouldn't believe this to be possible, I know for a fact you are dea-"

He froze as he furrowed his brows. "You said Isabella has a desire for human souls...she told my young master and I she despised the taste of them. That is why she feeds off of blood."

Vincent paused with the rim to his lips, then he carefully placed the glass on the table and looked at Sebastian.

"You truly know nothing. How unfortunately boring."

He loosened the tie tightly secured around his neck and looked at Sebastian in the eye.

"Isabella is not a demon at all."

**. . .**

"Oh, there has to be a way out of here! The Lord will show us the way, we just have to look!"

"I doubt that."

"That man will be back soon, he must've had a spare key or - or left the door slightly unlocked! We can try to just push with enough force and the door will open freely!"

"I wouldn't do that."

You sighed as she ran towards the door and shook your head as she collided with it and it didn't even budge.

She popped back up and began pulling on the lever through the bars of the cage.

"If I can...just...pull it...and get it to...open...!"

"Please, just stop."

"No! I think...I almost...got it.."

She obviously didn't as seconds after, her grip slipped and she fell on her back. She pushed herself back up and began pacing as she tapped her chin.

"Okay, we need to come up with a plan. Maybe when he comes back, we can trick him into opening the door and keeping it open, or trick him to come inside, I get the drop on him, and we get the blazes out of here! Then we lock him in and go to Scotland Yard, we bring them back here and they bust him!"

"Quiet!!"

She jumped at the volume of your voice.

You rubbed your temples in annoyance and took a deep breath, then exhaled and looked at her.

"Listen, there is no way out of here. You may ponder as much as you want, but please, do it silently!"

She had jumped and pressed herself against the bars in fear. Without another word, she slid down and buried her head in her knees. Very faintly, she muttered under her breath.

"We have to get out...we have to..."

You stared at her and had to grip the bars of the cage to keep yourself from crawling over and feasting on that...sweet.. delectable...that soul that...aah!

You shook your head and placed an arm around your stomach. _Don't even think. Just drown it all out. He will tell him everything, I_ _can't_ _give in now. I just need to buy them some more time._

Your head turned to her when she started to disgustingly sob into her knees. This made you groan.

"What is it now?"

She snorted out her sobs. "I...I didn't want to gi've in...! Just...*sniff* just that grin...how low his voice was...it-it made me want to...to give in...!"

 _Is she_ _really_ _going to talk about this now? Reminding me of it will only increase the likelihood of her death._

She lifted her head and her face was a mess. Her eyes were red and puffy, she had what you assumed were tears dripping from her nose.

"You...you must think I'm...im some whore...I gave in to the...the temptation...! I sinned...! Oh GOD!!! What have I done?!"

You were growing more and more irritated by each word and you couldn't take it anymore.

"For Hell's sake, just shut your mouth! Honestly, you cry more than Finny and Mey-Rin when they wreck the manor! You don't know how desperately I want to devour you right now, I would gladly rip you apart over and over again, but the only reason I'm not is because I don't want that damned Angel to have the satisfaction of it!! If you will just get a grip and shut up, this will be over shortly! Now stop!"

You had forgotten your grip on the bars of the cage, but remembered when your anger made you bend them and tear them completely out of the cage.

There was silence. You didn't look at her. You couldn't look at her. You didn't want to look at her, because you had just revealed you weren't human. Killing her had now become a definite option.

"W...what..."

You merely glanced at her.

There was true terror in her eyes. You could tell that she had now begun fearing for her life.

"What...are...you?"

Your eyes narrowed and you looked once again to the slash on her leg. You felt it coming up. That monster inside of your mid-area...it was overtaking you, your mind, and your body. You knew that when you closed your eyes, then opened them, they were no longer human eyes.

You heard her muscles tense and her heart start beating 2x faster.

Your lips stretched into a hunger crazed grin.

"That is a very good question."

**. . .**

Once again, Sebastian was staring at Vincent in disbelief, but it soon turned to anger.

"If you refer to her as a human, then-"

"She is definitely no longer human."

Vincent had to laugh at the very thought of you being human. "That is for absolute certainty."

"She is a demon."

Vincent sighed and narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "No, she isn't. Come on, I thought you were smart. Demons don't feel or have any emotions. All they care about is their next meal. She has shown mercy on me and swears to protect my son because I simply asked her to. The contracts, the true form, the demonic eyes, the loyalty to this king of hers, it is all an illusion."

He stood up from his chair and walked over to a place within the dreamy, white atmosphere. A window appeared from thin air and he looked out it. He glanced back at Sebastian and gestured to it.

"Come, and see for yourself."

Sebastian rose from the chair, and paused to push it in, before walking over and gazing through it. What he saw only made him furrow his brows. A girl. A girl with dark grey hair, sitting on the edge of a well with her head between her knees.

"And who is that?"

Vincent kept his arms behind his back as a smile twitched at his lips. "Her name is Abigail White. She was born over 3,000 years ago."

The girl slowly lifted her head and Sebastian rose his eyebrows once he saw her eyes. They were red, but the emotion they held were nothing like yours. There were tears surrounding them and they were filled with pain and sorrow. But there was also a darkness, anger that was clearly shown.

"Isabella..."

She closed her eyes and hugged herself tighter. But then, a few words could be heard. "I need you. I need you. Please... I'm running out of time. I'm running out of time. I can't...I can't hold myself back for much longer..."

Her head suddenly shot up and she held her head as she jumped down from the well and looked up through the window. The eyes were no longer red. They were a darkened, fluorescent blue with the white of her eyes pulsating black.

"You are really asking for your own death, child!"

She threw herself to the ground, and the grass surrounding the well disappeared once she did. It was replaced by a cold, hard cement floor. Her head shot up and Sebastian automatically jumped to tear the window off.

It was you. Your hair again black, hardly any clothes on, but your eyes were still in their odd condition. Your jaw opened and you crawled forward. He frowned once he saw who it was you were crawling to.

"Do you recognize her?" He looked back at Vincent, who was only watching. "The nun that you...massaged."

Said nun was crawling backwards with fear in her glazed eyes. "S-Stay away, you monster! Demon! Stay away!"

Your grin stretched as she scrambled to stand up and began running along the side. "Yes...Run...Run away from me! We have all night, dearie!! So RUN!"

She did exactly that, but you were faster than her and snatched onto her ankle, causing her to fall. She twisted around to kick you up your chin, but your grin stayed. You released her and she continued crawling away.

"You're crazy! Crazy!!"

You latched onto her back and rolled her over to straddle her legs, then locked her arms above her head with one hand. You leaned down to her and whispered over her lips.

"Monster, Demon, crazy...I've been insulted far better by simple demons, you believe your feeble insults will affect me?" You nipped her bottom lip, which made her go red, and licked around her jawline, then pulled on her bottom lip.

You inhaled her scent and smirked. "If you want crazy...well, then I'll show you crazy."

You forced her mouth opened as you opened yours.

Sebastian was watching in anxiousness. "What is she doing? That isn't the proper way to obtain souls."

Vincent sighed again. "You really are giving me a headache, butler. Unlike you demons, she has the ability to draw out the souls straight from the body. She doesn't even need a contract. And it looks as if she is beginning to remember what she is."

Just as the glowing soul was about to be sucked into your mouth, it stopped and you slowly closed your mouth. You blinked your eyes rapidly, and your eyes returned back to red. You gazed down at the girl who was crying in fear and shook your head.

"No. Now is not the time for this."

You released her arms and sat on your knees. She hesitantly rose up and her lip quivered as she quickly scrambled to stand up and run away to where you tore the hole in the cage. Without a second thought, she climbed through it and only glanced back once, before running into the darkness for a way out.

You watched her, then looked to the ground. There was a pool of blood left behind from her. You rubbed your neck as you looked down at the reflection. You closed your eyes at seeing yourself, then leaned down and licked up the pool of blood.

_This is horribly disgusting. But it is what I have been reduced to for the time being._

Once you licked up all the blood, you wiped your lips and looked over your shoulder. The slashes from her whip were now healing up, along with the missing pieces of your stomach, and the wounds on your face, and the gash on your arm.

You sighed to yourself. "What a cruel existence this is." You pushed yourself up and stood. "It's as if there is simply no point in living at all."

You walked to the large hole and stepped through it. Your bare feet tapped onto the floor as you dropped down and began crawling on all fours. As you walked, your skin began to bubble and your bones broke themselves until they all fit the same structure as a cat. Fur sprouted from the bubbles as long nails sprouted from your regular ones. Your ears grew longer and pointed up as your nose flattened out and whiskers flew out.

_**'Your time is up. I'll be close, but I recommend not looking for me.'** _

Sebastian looked around the room at the voice. _Isabella, where are you going? Tell me right now. This game is not yours to be playing._

He never received a response, and that only made him growl. _Isabella!_

Vincent walked back to his chair and sat down. "As much as I enjoyed this conversation of ours, I'm afraid your time is up." He picked up his glass of champagne and watched as Sebastian slowly began to fade away. "If you don't know what to do next, you should go see Ciel. Goodbye, Sebastian. I won't be seeing you again."

Those last words rang out in the air as he faded away and disappeared in the white atmosphere.

Sebastian's eyes opened up and he realized he was about to leave the room as his hand was around the knob of the door. He glanced behind him and saw the ring placed on the folded gloves that were placed on your side table. He looked back at the door and turned the knob, then shut the door behind him.

**. . .**

***Knock* *Knock***

Ciel looked up from the paper in his hands and at the door. "Yes, Enter."

Once the door opened and Sebastian stepped inside, Ciel scoffed. "Well, you're not dead. I was beginning to think you took an unexcused vacation."

Sebastian walked forward to stop in front of Ciel's desk. "Master, I just..." He trailed of as he looked to the window and realized something.

Ciel hummed. "What?"

Sebastian tilted his head. "It's gotten dark out."

Ciel rose his eyebrows. "Yes, that's why I'm complaining. The last I saw you, it was 9:30 in the morning. Where have you been? You missed an invasion."

"It didn't feel as long as I thought it would. I was only...an invasion, sir?"

Ciel rested his chin his hand. "The servants handled it. I had to entertain Elizabeth while they did. Tanaka drowned out the noise with some violin music. They looked like fools all covered in dirt. It was quite amusing, really."

"You mean to say the manor was attacked and I wasn't here?" He dropped his head and put a hand over his heart as he got down on one knee. "What a shameful act I have committed. To think this place could have been in shambles. I offer my deepest apologies as I hang my head in shame. I never even got to prepare dinn-"

"Ugh, will you stop with that already? It's been a long day, I don't need your dramatic butler speech." Ciel threw down the newspaper on the desk, then stood up and turned to look out the window.

"Anyways, make preparations. We're leaving for France tomorrow."

Sebastian stood up and rose an eyebrow. "France?"

He looked back at him and picked up the paper. "This years exposition. It's this years 100th Anniversary of the French Revolution."

Sebastian took the paper from Ciel and looked at it. "It says here, they're building a colossal tower for this year's fair. And they're naming it the 'Eiffel Tower'."

Ciel hummed. "Yes. Her majesty will be in attendance. She will be traveling covertly to Paris to see it for herself." His eyes narrowed. "We leave immediately. There are certain disclosures I wish to speak with her about."

Sebastian smiled and bowed his head with his hand over his heart. "Yes, as you wish, my lord."

As he turned to walk to the door, Ciel had stopped him.

"Hold on." He looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Have you discovered anything concerning the ring? Anything that would explain Isabella's sudden disappearance?"

He forced a smile. "No, sir. I haven't found anything on the ring that explains Isabella's behavior. I'm sorry."

He huffed and turned back to the window. "Very well. I'd like to retire now."

"Yes, sir." Ciel turned around and Sebastian held the door open for him as he walked through, then shut the door behind him.

And yet, even as Ciel looked outside...even as Sebastian looked back in the room before closing the door, neither of them had noticed the presence of the black cat that sat on the window seal, watching them.


	42. Mission Impossible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vincent and Isabella split up during the ball of the Viscount. Things don't exactly go as planned.

The sound of Vincent's foot tapping against the floor filled the room. As you placed the cup of tea in front of him, you raised an eyebrow when he didn't react.

"Master, is something on your mind?"

His leg was bouncing in anxiousness. He exhaled through his nose and glanced up at you. "Maxwell Chamber. He's our target her majesty gave us."

You rose an eyebrow. "Yes?"

He sighed and pushed the open file to you. "That is his son."

You tilted your head at the picture of a young man with blonde hair and the same violet eyes. You looked back up at him as his fingers tapped the picture.

"His name is Aleister Chamber. If we want to get to Maxwell, we need to get to his son."

You nodded as you placed the scone beside his tea. "And do you have any plans on how to do that?"

He clenched his jaw. "They say that Aleister is a ladies' man. He is easily woed by any and every woman that catches his attention. The best way to get to him, it would be through that method."

You rose an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, but I don't see the problem here. I can easily and gladly obtain any information from him, let alone something as simple as seeking audience through him."

He sighed and stood up. "That is the problem. As effective as I'm sure your methods are-"

"Hm, yes, you would know, wouldn't you?"

"As effective as they are, I need you to do something else for me." He stopped in front of you and pulled something out from behind his back. You glanced down and saw a folded up piece of paper. 

You took it from his fingers and unfolded it. What you saw made you look back up at him. "A map?" He nodded and you rose your eyebrows expectantly. "And...what is this a map of?"

He pointed at the first half of the map. "This here is a layout of the manor." He then moved his finger over to the second half. "And this is a directional route of the air ducts, of which lead to every room in the manor."

He kept the frown on his face as he locked eyes with you. "I need you to retrieve the children we believe our being held hostage for the black market auctions."

A smirk formed on your lips. "And, um, who will be the one to seduce the viscounts son, if I may ask?"

He narrowed his eyes at your smirk. "Well...because we don't exactly have any other females and we can't involve any simple civilian, it appears I will...have to fulfill that role."

You covered your mouth with your hand to hide the grin and to stifle the laugh you desperately wanted to let out, then folded your map and looked down.

"In that case...it seems you will have to undergo some lessons."

He furrowed his brows. "Lessons? I don't think that will be necessary..."

You bit the tip of your finger as you crossed your arm over your stomach and walked around him. "Tell me, have you ever even kissed a girl?" You spun around and caught the faint redness to his cheeks.

He gave an unamused look, but the answer was already obvious. "Is that a trick question?"

You smiled and kept circling around him. "Have you ever actually seduced anyone before?"

He watched you like a hawk as you circled around him like a cat toying with it's prey. "Not particularly..."

You hummed, then stopped and stepped close to his face, making him unconsciously step back, but he still stared you down.

"Can you or can you not hold your breath for at least a full minute?"

This only made him look at you in confusion. "What? What does that even have to do with-"

You finally let your suppressed grin show. "Oh yes, much training for many lessons is required."

You picked up the tea cup and handed it to him, along with the scone. "You best enjoy yourself for another hour." You had a devious look in your eye. "It is going to be a very long night."

 

. . .

His arm was firmly around your waist. His breath was hot and nearly colliding with yours. his eyes stared deep into yours with no intention of breaking. Your chests were pressed up against one another as his lips kissed your soft flesh.

"My Lady...will you allow me to-"

"Wrong"

He glanced up at you and straightened up. "What?"

You shook your head. "If i'm being perfectly honest, it was perfect. However, you forgot one crucial detail."

He rose his eyebrows as you removed his arm from your waist and placed it on your shoulder, then wrapped your arm around his waist and pulled him close.

You smiled. "You are the Lady, remember? You will be in the warm embrace of a gentlemen. A gentlemen who I am sure will be more than happy to get a little friendlier with you." Your hand traveled further down his waist and this made his eyes go wide. 

"W-What are you doing?!"

You smirked. "I'm not making you flustered, am I? My sweet..."

While he stared at you, he tried to cover up his blush with a frown.

You rose your eyebrows. It took him a second, but then he coughed and put on a sweet smile.

"Oh, don't be silly, my Lord. I am a Lady, now would a Lady become that easily flustered over a little friendly touch?"

You laughed, partly as the imaginary man, and partly because it was funny.

"Such a gentle Lady you are." He went stuff when you pulled him closer to your body and moved your lips over his ear.

"You intrigue me, my sweet. By keeping you in my embrace, you excite me...I can hardly control myself."

Your lips ghosted across his face until you were hovering over his. You leaned in closer and slightly parted your lips. But that was until a hand covered your mouth. 

Vincent narrowed his eyes playfully. "If you wanted something of this level, you do have the option to simply ask."

You sighed and moved his hand from your face. "Master, if you wish to seduce the viscount's son, you must be prepared for anything he may try. Covering his lips is not a guaranteed way of playing hard to get."

"And how do you even know if he will attempt that particular action?"

You have him a look. "I'm a female. If there's anyone with experience, it is me."

You pulled out your pocket watch and checked the time. "Oh! There's only 6 hours left until the viscount's ball. We need to move on quickly."

You grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

 

. . .

His frown was practically stapled to his face. He looked at you from the corner of his eyes.

"Is this really necessary?"

You matched his frown with a serious look. "Very. Perhaps the most crucial ability to possess as a Lady."

He sighed and spoke under his breath.

"Don't mumble. You'll look suspicious."

"Yes, well I have alot to mumble about at the moment."

"Don't move your head, keep still."

He groaned. "This is very uncomfortable."

"Shh!" You kept your eyes on him as he walked. "You need to display your behind more."

His neck snapped to you. "I need to what my what?"

"Ow!" He flinched when you smacked the pointer over his legs. "What was that for?"

You smacked it in the palm of your head. "You moved. Any clumbsier and you would have lost your balance, thus causing the books to fall."

He huffed as he spread his arms out and continued walking, this time while pushing out his behind.

You smirked. "Yes. Very good, master.

His eyes narrowed. "You just shut it."

. . .

"Aahg!" 

He sneered through his clenched teeth.

"This is...very...difficult...Ahg!"

You shushed him with your lips beside his ear. "It's alright, master. We're almost done, just clench yourself a little longer."

He grunted as you pulled tighter. His grip on the bed grew tighter along with it.

"Is this...ugh!...is this really what women have to go through?"

You frowned. "Every single day since the damned thing was created."

You pulled one more time, making him yell.

"Aaagh!"

 

. . .

***knock* *knock***

"Master, are you ready?"

You pressed your ear up against the door and heard muffled sounds of someone cursing under their breath.

***knock* *knock***

"Master? We must depart soon, are you dressed?"

"Get in here. Now."

You rose your eyebrows at his hard tone, but still opened the door and walked inside. The sight of him honestly made you want to laugh harder than before, but you kept it inside.

The wig you gave him looked as if it were about to fall off his head. The back of the dress wasn't tied and it's strings were hanging around. It was a miracle he got the dress and shoes on.

He was pulling up the elbow-length gloves as you walked inside and caught his hair as it fell. You gave a small laugh as you grabbed the hat that was placed on the bed and reattached the wig, before placing the hat over it.

You then walked around him and pulled the strings to tighten. "My, my. If you were my Lady, how would you survive? You can't even dress yourself properly.

You tied the strings into a perfect bow and stepped back. He turned around and your smile enlarged. 

He sighed and placed his arms beside him. "Well? How do I look?"

You adjusted the hat a little and looked into his eyes. "A vision of beauty, my Lady."

You then flicked your wrist and pulled out a fan. You opened your other hand and a pile of blue jewels that matched the dress appeared.

"Now, it is time to accessorize."

 

**. . .**

Once you had finished adorning him with jewelry, he was looking at his reflection in absolute horror.

"This is...this is ridiculous."

You only hummed as you finished chaining the necklace around his neck. 

"The life as the Queen's Guard Dog has it's own luxury. But you must be willing to sacrifice just as much to have it."

You held out the fan in front of him.

He sighed as he took the fan from you. "Are you certain I have to wear this?"

You smiled. "Master, you must live with these consequences of being the Queen's guard dog."

He narrowed his eyes as he snatched the fan from you, turned, picked up his sapphire dress and mumbled to himself as he stomped out of the room. "That still doesn't explain why I have to wear these jewels."

You watched him go and smiled to yourself. "This is going to be very entertaining."

 

**. . .**

It wasn't long before you arrived at the party. Once you entered the viscount's manor, Vincent surprisingly became more and more confident.

He stood beside you as his eyes searched the crowd for the son, Aleister Chamber.

In a few short minutes, he had located him, surrounded by women who were trying to catch his attention.

He glanced back you. "There he is. Go, find any prisoners on the property and release them to safety. Don't let anyone prevent you from doing so. Only come when I call you."

You leaned in to him. "Is that an order?"

He nodded. "It is. Go."

You bowed your head as you curtsied. "Yes, my Lord."

As a waiter passed by, you quickly matched their pace and his beside them to keep out of the viscount's or his son's view.

Once the waiter had passed over an entrance to a hallway, you departed from his side and continued walking at a regular pace.

The hall didn't appear open to guests as it was practically empty. It was odd, which meant good for you.

Unfortunately, there was a man that had nearly fallen on top of you that was preventing that. You moved to the side as the man collapsed right where you were standing.

By the sound of a blade sharpening, you turned your head to be met with a Chinese woman, holding a samurai sword. She looked up and noticed you, but you only smiled and continued walking.

These balls certainly are interesting. Perhaps I should attend more of them.

You stopped once you heard the sounds of people talking and moved up against the wall.

"Did you get any new produce?"

"Maxwell had us pick up some fresh meat last night. It's a real pain in the lower back, though."

"Will you shut up and just take them to the billard room? Worry about yourself later, I would like to get home, y'know."

"Yeah, yeah. We're going as soon as Maxwell does his announcement. God knows that distraction will be a real blessing."

"Make sure they don't cause any unwanted attention. The last thing we need is someone finding out about this."

"Yeah, that would be really bad."

By hearing them walk away, you poked your head out. You waited until you saw them disappear down the hall, before walking down it.

"Ah, is this the Lady you were talking about, Ran Mao?"

You looked behind you and saw the China woman from earlier who was now accompanied by a chinaman. 

Said chinaman was smiling as he looked you over. "My, my. And what a lovely Lady you are, indeed."

You didn't even say anything as you turned and began walking away. Well attempted was more like it, since the chinawoman had pulled a knife to your throat, which made you stop.

The man laughed. "Now, Ran Mao, play nice." He gently put down the woman's arm and looked at you with the smile still on his face.

"I do apologize, but it seems, according to Ran Mao, you had witnessed something undignified a few minutes ago."

You forced a smile. "Excuse me, but I have a task I must attend to. I don't believe I have sufficient time to chat right now. Perhaps another ti-."

"Hey!"

You turned when two large men stomped towards the three of you. And by the sound of it, it was the men who were just talking.

"What are you lot doing here? This hallway is off limits to guests."

You bowed your head. "Terribly sorry, if you'll excuse me-"

You tried to walk away, but one of the men had grabbed onto your arm. You looked back at him with an annoyed glare as he grinned.

"Actually, maybe you should stay with me, darling."

Your eyes narrowed.

"We could have a little fun together. What do you sa- aghh!!"

He began screaming when you twisted his arm around and jumped up to wrap your legs around his head, then pull him to the ground and snap his neck.

"Hey!" The second man had pulled a gun out on you and fired, but you quickly placed your hand over the barrel. The gun fired into your hand, but you managed to muffle the sound. You crushed the barrel in your fist and it fell in pieces to the ground.

The man's eyes widened as he turned and sprinted down the hallway.

He didn't get far as you jumped up and landed on his backside, which caused him to fall to the ground. You kept your knees on his back as you held his head to the carpet.

"Sorry to inconvenience you, but where exactly is the billiard room?"

He only screamed and you had to push his face into the carpet.

"Now, why don't you try cooperating?"

You used your other hand to break his arm. His screams were muffled.

"Where is the billiard room, if you would be so kind?"

"Agh! The...It's on the other side of the...agh!...the manor!"

"Thank you." In a split second, you twisted his neck. His body went limp after. You stood and began running down the hall.

The chinaman and woman watched you leave and the chinaman smiled.

"Ooh, how interesting this lovely Lady is, indeed."

 

**. . .**

You had stopped running once you located a vent on the ceiling. You had to look around and make sure there was no one around, before jumping up. Your fingers wrapped around the holes of the vent, before you pulled it off. You jumped back up inside and closed the vent with it's cover as you entered it.

There wasn't much to be said about the journey in the ventilation shaft, just the sounds of people laughing, air blowing through, Vincent walking with the viscount...wait.

You looked back through the small sliver of light to where you saw the outline of Vincent, or Veronica, as he had decided to be called, was walking beside the Viscount, Maxwell Chamber.

_Well master, I am sorry to have doubted you. It seems those lessons have really paid off._

You continued crawling through, until you heard the faint sound of crying. You looked down and saw the outline of what appeared to be a child. Without a second thought, you latched your fingers through and tore off the vent from its hinges. You placed the vent aside and jumped down.

You landed on your knees, and as you looked up, you realized you had landed in the middle of a room filled with children. The only problem was that they were all locked in large cages that resembled bird cages. Very odd.

You stood up and once you did, the children had all noticed you. Every child's hands were tied and every child had been gagged with a rag in their mouths. You ran to the first cage and inspected the lock that kept them prisoner. Though you didn't really ponder to open it, because you found your own way.

They watched with wide eyes as you tore off the entire door from the cage, then proceeded to run and tear off the rest of every cage. You moved in a blur, too fast for them to comprehend, and before they knew it, you had not only freed them from confinement, but had taken them all out and placed them all in a circle in the center of the room.

They all looked down and realized where they were, and discovered the ties around their wrists were all cut. They removed the gags from their mouths and you slowly turned when you heard ramped stomping coming from the other side of the door to the outside.

Your brows furrowed. "Impossible. How could they have heard that?"

You unfortunately didn't have time to ponder that further, because the door flew open just a few seconds later. Several men ran inside with their guns drawn, but they all looked at each other in confusion when they found themselves in an empty room.

Of course that was before the door slammed shut behind them and locked. You looked over at the children who were shaking with fear and sighed. But as you looked the other way. down the hall there was a window. A moment of relief swept over you as you vastly walked down the hall The children followed closely, too scared to do anything else.

When you tried to pull up the window, you realized it was locked. But a few seconds after, it wasn't a problem since you shattered it. You cleared the shattered glass and looked down. There was several carriages and a number of men surrounding them. From the looks of it, they appeared to be officers. 

Scotland Yard... You smirked. "How convenient."

**. . .**

 

***boom* *boom* *boom***

All the officers looked up when several kids jumped from a window and landed on the roofs of the carriages.

The man in command gasped. "My God! It's the children! Get them off of there!"

As the officers helped the kids into the ground, the one in command looked up and saw a figure watching them from the window they had jumped from. 

You smiled in accomplishment. "Hm, my work here is done."

_**'Isabella, I order you to get me out of here now!'** _

You froze up and looked behind you. "Well, never mind then."

. . .

You wiped the dust off her hands and frowned at the amount of blood splatter on your violet colored dress.

"Oh, dear...what I mess I've created."

You looked over at Vincent, who was staring at the pile of bodies that dropped like flies once you came to his rescue.

"Yes, I'd say so. It is quite a mess."

You hummed as you placed a hand on your hip and looked at him.

"Scotland Yard arrived sone time ago. The imprisoned children are with them. We should depart before they discover this, master."

He sighed and nodded. "Alright. Let's go, Isabella."

He walked towards the door, but stopped at the sound of someone clapping.

"Ah, so your name is Isabella? A lovely name for a lovely Lady."

You both turned around and you narrowed your eyes in annoyance. The chinaman and woman were standing off in the corner.

Vincent looked at you. "Isabella, do you know this man?"

"No, not yet. I'm afraid I don't have the pleasure...yet." He walked over a few bodies with the woman by his side.

He outstretched a hand to Vincent. "A pleasure, I am the lovely branch manager of a trading company. My name is Lau." He gestured to the woman. "And this Lady is my sister, Ran Mao."

Vincent glanced down at his hand, then paused to remove the hat and wig, before shaking hands with him. "Vincent, Earl of Phantomhive."

He smiled as he shook his hand. "A real delight to make your acquaintance. I couldn't help but overhear...you are on business from her majesty, I assume?"

He chuckled. "Yes, I came to take care of business for myself. But if I may...I have a business proposition for you."

He looked over at you. "And I think the both of you will be very interested."

Vincent glanced at you as you continued to watch Lau, then he smiled.

"Well, I think you are worth hearing out. Why don't you come to my manor? I can change in some proper attire and Isabella here will make prepare refreshments. Isabella, why don't you introduce yourself?"

You stepped forward and bowed. "Hello, I am Isabella Brieris. Head maid to the Phantomhive Estate."

He rose his eyebrows. "A maid, hm? You could've easily fooled me, darling. With those magnificent skills, you could be a skilled assassin. Well, you are certainly one hell of a maid."

You contained a smile. "Yes, I guess I am simply one hell of a maid."

Lau then looked to Vincent as they began walking. "Well my Lord, I think this is the start of a long, beautiful friendship."


	43. His Maid, Dissolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Master...in your young life, you've known far too much pain. You're a young bird, yet. Of frail bones and weak talons. But you defy fate again and again. You are a good boy, one too fragile, too broken to kill. Do not be chained by that moment, you can't be spoiled by such weakness.
> 
> Next Time on Black Maid: "His Maid, Dissolution"
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

Ciel stood, staring out the window of his room. He had a blank look on his face, free of any emotion as the servants were moving Ciel's packed bags out of the room.

"Oi, Finny! Help me with this!"

"All right!"

Finny ran over and picked up the heavy suitcases from Bard's arms.

"I got it!"

Ciel was completely ignoring their presence and only gazed, transfixed out the window.

"Master"

He looked back to the doorway, a small glimmer of belief in his eyes. But it faded away as he realized it was only his butler. He turned his sight back to the outside.

"What?"

Sebastian kept his arms beside each other and displayed an emotionless face.

"The preparations have all been made. The carriage should be arriving soon, my Lord."

Ciel tapped the gem of his ring in anxiousness. "Not soon enough..."

Finny looked at him in curiosity. "By the way, where exactly is it you two are going?"

He yelled out in pain when Bard struck his fist on his head.

"You've been helpin' out all morning and you don't even know?"

Ciel rubbed his forehead as Finny began whining about how much his head was now hurting.

He sighed. "Paris."

Sebastian turned his head and looked down as Mey-Rin entered the room with a laundry basket in her arms. He narrowed his eyes once he noticed the clothes inside were all pink.

"Mey-Rin, what is that?"

She froze up and avoided his gaze. "U-Um, well...I was doing the laundry and as I was putting in all the whites, I noticed Finny's red pajamas needed to be washed as well. So, I put them with the whites...and it all turned pink, yes it did!"

Sebastian sighed in annoyance. "Honestly, you are a maid. You should know the basic rules of cleaning clothing."

She kept her head down in shame as she fidgeted. "Isabella always corrects me and prevents these things from happening. It's been very difficult without her, yes it has."

Bard perked up at the mention of your name and took out the cigar from his mouth. "Yeah, speaking of, where is Isabella? We haven't seen her in a few days now, and it's a bit odd that she's not here to see you two off, or even go with you like she always does."

Worry grew in Finny's eyes. "She's not gone, is she? I know she can be a bit commanding and all, but that's the only way to keep us from messing everything up. Isabella was in charge of the manor long before we came along, it's not like her to just leave all of a sudden. I'm really worried about her, master!"

Bard patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, let's not worry ourselves. Isabella is strong and smart enough to know what she's doing. She wouldn't want us to lose our heads now, right master?'

For a long moment, there was silence as Ciel only stared out the window.

"Stop saying her name as if she were our priority."

Bard did not expect that and his jaw dropped as Mey-Rin froze up and Finny's eyes widened.

"What do you mean, master? Isabella was the one who created Funtom, she served the previous Earl with Tanaka, she built the manor, she has made us better at being our roles here. She IS important to us, and she should be to you, too!!"

Mey-Rin gasped. "Finny!"

Finny had begun to break out in tears and tried to wipe them away. Ciel suddenly turned and looked him in the eye, with a never ending coldness in his.

"You shouldn't have gotten attached to her. Here's the truth - Isabella is gone. She left us and betrayed me. It's doubtful she will even come back. If she doesn't, then we move on and you will all forget you ever knew her or that she even existed. If she is a trader, I won't tolerate a rogue pawn, and she will instantly be dead to me."

He turned around completely and faced them, all of them, especially Sebastian.

"You can't get attached to anyone. When the time comes, you will erase her from your memory and her entire place here. I don't want to hear any mention of her again unless she is the head maid. Am I clear?"

The servants looked at each other warily, even Sebastian had an uneasy look on his face.

Nonetheless, they all bowed their heads and said.

"Yes, master."

Without another word, he left the room, shouting down the hall. "I'll be waiting in the carriage! Hurry up and let's go!"

Once he was out of earshot, Bard breathed out and rubbed his neck.

"Well that didn't look good."

Mey-Rin nervously furrowed her brows. "Oh, the young master is in even more distress than we thought. He must miss her terribly..."

Finny pouted. "This is very, very bad. We can't just let the master forget about Isabella! We have to do something!"

Sebastian clapped his hands and all attention went to him.

"Considering the absence of the head maid, you will again be answering to me. While I accompany the master to Paris, you will stay here and do what you were hired for. Protect this manor until we return. When I walk into this manor, it will be exactly as it is now. Understand?"

They all nodded. "Good. And please at least try to correctly do your jobs."

They watched him walk out of the room with complete uneasiness.

"This is very, very bad."

**. . .**

You glared at the woman staring at you. "Oh, this just won't do."

You picked up the large strands of your hair and twisted it up into a high bun. You leaned further in to the mirror and frowned.

"It's not enough. You can still spot me from a mile away."

You looked over and grabbed the second hair from its stand. You carefully placed it over your head and tucked the stray pieces inside.

"It's a little better. Hm, I don't look as awful as I thought I would with red hair. The real problem is the eyes. They stand out far too much and Sebastian will definitely recognize me."

The next action you took was a little rash. You grabbed the candle that lit the small room and tilted it to drop the wax over the desired area. You flinched a bit, but only poured more on. You placed the candle down and cracked your eyes open. The skin around them was still sizzling and began to blister.

"Perfect. I'll leave that as a fallback."

You grabbed the white bandages that were on the desk and began wrapping them around the damaged area. You tightened them to the point where you could peak out and see a sliver of the mirror.

You then looked down to your hands. Though the contract marks were faded, they were still as clear as day. You glanced at the candle again, then reached over and grabbed the spare set of bandages.

You began wrapping them around the mark until it was completely covered and out of sight. As you were wrapping the other one, your mind began to wonder.

_Flashback..._

_Finny had begun to break out in tears and tried to wipe them away. Ciel suddenly turned and looked him in the eye, with a never ending coldness in his._

_"You shouldn't have gotten attached to her. Here's the truth - Isabella is gone. She left us and betrayed me. It's doubtful she will even come back. If she doesn't, then we move on and you will all forget you ever knew her or that she even existed. If she is a trader, I won't tolerate a rogue pawn, and she will instantly be dead to me."_

You taped the wrappings in place and shook your head.

"If only you knew, Ciel. It would make everything so much easier if you understood why I must do this."

You opened and closed your fists as you looked up at your reflection. "Everything, ever since that night I met Vincent, it has all led up to this event. Soon, very soon the game will come to an end. What a journey this has been. Going from master to master, and I finally found one she was targeting."

You softly smiled. "The last thing I expected was to be mated. So many memories to never forget here. But soon, none of them will even matter."

You styled your hair in a half up do and reached behind you to tighten the strings to your dress. You then pulled down your sleeves from any wrinkles and turned around.

"It's nearly time to greet them." Your smile stretched. "This is going to be very entertaining."

**. . .**

Ciel sniffed the air in slight distaste. "What in god's name is that smell?"

Sebastian only smiled as he placed his coat on his shoulders. "I believe it is the stench of industrialism, my lord. The possibilities in the air for the new world to come."

He crinkled his nose and grunted as he glanced at the cart of fresh manure beside the loading dock of the ship. "Industrialism, eh?"

He quickly moved away from it as he glanced back at Sebastian. "So, who exactly is it we are supposed to be looking for?"

Sebastian reached inside of his coat to pull out a folded up piece of paper and stopped to read it. "From the words in her majesty's letter, she will be sending a highly trusted personal guide to show us around the city and provide us with any information we wish to know."

He frowned. "Well, she didn't even bother telling us who this guide I-"

"Master!"

Sebastian's warning was too late as Ciel had collided with the side of a carriage filled with cabbages that was passing by. The impact had caused Ciel to fall back and a few cabbages to fall to the ground. The driver yelled out in French and jumped down to stare in horror at the now dirty cabbages.

"Mon choux! Pas le choux!" He then glared at Ciel. "Vous stupide gosse! Regardez où vous allez!"

Ciel was staring at him in confusion. "Um, pardon?"

The man screamed in anger and reached down to grab a fist full of Ciel's shirt and shake him. "Tu vas payer pour ça! Agh!"

Ciel's eye widened as the man screamed in pain. As he looked behind him, he fully expected to see his butler, but instead, there was a girl that was tightly holding the man's arm behind his back. What was odd was that her eyes and hands were bandaged while her attire consisted of a raggedy dress that looked hand made.

Her voice was full of annoyance. "Ce serait le moment de libérer l'enfant, le bon Monsieur." 

The man scoffed. "Vous devez savoir à votre place, gitane! Communiqué avec moi, maintenant!"

"Libérer l'enfant et je vais y réfléchir." She twisted his arm harder and he shrieked, before he released his grip and Ciel fell to the floor.

She, however, didn't. Instead, she pulled him around and slammed him up against the wall. "Vous avez des manières très pauvres. Il y a ceux qui brûlent pour nuire aux enfants. N'oubliez pas que vous êtes sur votre chemin."

She pushed him towards his truck and he quickly ran to get inside. She seemed to watch as he drove off, but he had decided to yell something as he passed by her and give a very rude gesture. "Vas te faire encule, sorcière gitane!"

She didn't react and only sighed to herself. "How very untasteful the men of this land are."

Ciel was staring at her in shock and suspicion as Sebastian knelt down to him. "Master, are you hurt?"

Sebastian helped him up and he straightened the lines made in his clothes. "I'm fine."

Ciel walked closer to his savior as she dusted the dirt from her dress. "You assisted in detaining that man who attacked me. Thank you."

She looked at him over her shoulder and a small smile came on her face. "You know, if you plan on traveling to a foreign country, you really should learn it's official native language. Otherwise, you run into these situations quite often. The people here are not as helpful as I, you should be more careful."

He rose his eyebrows. "You speak English?"

She turned around and chuckled. "Well, with the amount of American and English tourists that come here, it's become a requirement. Especially for the fair."

Ciel only nodded. "Yes, that's why we're here. And that reminds me that we have to be elsewhere." He looked back. "Sebastian, we should reward this woman for her act."

Sebastian bowed his head. "Certainly." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small sack.

Ciel grabbed the sack from him and held it out to her. "Here. A small token of my appreciation."

She was looking at him in surprise and hesitantly took the sack from him. Ciel then turned around and began walking away, as he did, he conversed with his butler. "Now, we need to find this tour guide  before anything else happens."

"Um, Lord Phantomhive."

Ciel stopped and they both turned around. Ciel narrowed his eyes. _I never told her who I was._

She was looking down at the sack with an amused smile on her lips, then looked up. "I think you misunderstand something." She tossed the sack back to him, which Sebastian caught in his fist, then laughed. "My apologies, I still haven't introduced myself."

She walked forward and did a curtsy. "My name is Jacqueline Brisebois. The people of this good city and country know me as Mademoiselle Brisebois." She looked up at them. "Her majesty had contacted me last night, asking me to escort you around Paris. You may call me Madame Brisebois. So, as you can see, I do not require any gesture of gratitude or payment from you, my Lord."

He stared in disbelief. "Wait, are you saying that you are the guide from her majesty?"

She only smiled. "I may not look it due to these painful scars of my sight, but I am very capable and I am certainly not what I appear."

He put a hand on his hip. "Huh. Well, in that case, I should properly introduce myself. My name is Ciel, Earl of Phantomhive. This is my head butler, Sebastian Michaelis."

Sebastian smiled and put a hand over his heart. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, my Lady."

Ciel crossed his arms. "There, now that the introductions are out of the way, I would like you to show me to my hotel."  
  
She narrowed her eyes with a smirk. "No. Not yet, anyway."

He glared at her. "What? What do you mean 'No'?"

She sighed as she flipped her hair. "You are in my city, my Lord. You haven't even been here for half an hour and you are already causing trouble. You should really learn exactly what you have gotten yourself into."

She walked forward and Ciel glared daggers in the back of her head as she passed by them. "If you'll follow me, I will escort you to your hotel. Just by my own means, of course." She looked at him from the corner of her eye. "And while I tell you all I know, you may want to take notes on learning our language. It will come in very handy a lot while you are here."

Ciel was frowning as he walked beside Sebastian. "I can tell already this guide of ours will be a nuisance."

"Good, perhaps you can learn to listen as well as you predict the future."

He began muttering under his breath while you suppressed a laugh. You all walked out of the main loading dock and stopped at the railing that overlooked the city, where a large tower stood in it's center.

"The Eiffel Tower marks the entrance into the exhibition. And there is the Champ de Mars which houses the Fine Palace of Arts. And then we have Machinery Hall, which marks the pinnacle of modern technology. There is an exhibition on agriculture. The Esplenade des Invalides features a colonial exhibition. It features a reproduction on the ruins at Angkor, along with some lively folk dancing. Additionally, Buffalo Bill's Wild West cowboy show is here all the way from the states!"

Sebastian smiled at your strange enthusiasm while Ciel only scratched the back of his head. Sebastian looked down at him. "From the sound of it, it's quite an exhibition, my Lord. Perhaps we should look around a bit more. Research for the company. If Madame Brisebois here would be so kind as to show us around."

Ciel sighed and closed his eyes.

"You're sure?"

He turned around, as did Sebastian as two men walked by. "Yes, they are showing an Angel at the Palace of Wonders!"

"That I must see!"

Ciel narrowed his eyes in curiosity. "An Angel?" Him and Sebastian looked at each other. "Really?" He turned and looked at you. "The Palace of Wonders. I assume you know where that is."

You smiled. "But of course. Follow me, my Lord."

**. . .**

Ciel's face was one of absolute boredom and annoyance as you all stared up at the so called 'Angel' that was basically a stuffed monkey with wings sewn on to its back.

"Pathetic. It's nothing more than a stuffed monkey. What a bore." He looked to you. "I think we've done enough exploring. Just take me to my hotel, now."

You bowed your head. "Very well."

You turned around and as you went to walk, the sound of a woman screaming made you stop. Ciel and Sebastian looked back, just in time to see the glass box shatter and the 'stuffed' monkey come flying out. It screeched as it dived down to Ciel, but Sebastian pulled him down just in time.

Ciel stood back up as Sebastian remained kneeling to him. "What's happening?!" He frantically looked around, but you were now nowhere in sight. "Jacqueline! "

**. . .**

You were cursing under your breath as you walked through the panicking crowd that was running out and bumping into you due to terror. You reached under the bottom bandage and slid them off your eyes.

You wrapped the bandage around your forearm as you looked up and saw **him** peering down at you from the tower. While behind him, the queen was entering the lift. Your jaw ticked.

_Very smart. A distraction to separate them._

You looked to the side where you spotted a water spout connected to the building that ran up to the roof.

_But not smart enough._

You ran to the spout and latched your feet and hands over it. You began climbing up the spout at an incredible speed as your body moved up like a spider. It wasn't long before you jumped and reached the top. You looked down and saw Ciel come running out of the building alone.

What happened next almost made you ant to jump down there. He saw her, standing by the fountain. This made him take off running towards the lift that led to the top of the tower.

You found yourself almost jumping, but you held back. Instead, you turned around and began running, until you jumped over the gap of the alleyway and landed on the building beside it. You didn't stop running and continued, then jumped again and landed on another building. You slid to a stop after jumping to a fourth building.

You could see Ciel inside the lift and the Queen talking with him. Not even a minute later, the lift stop and the Queen lifted her skirt as she and Ciel exited the lift to start climbing the steps to the top of the tower.

You looked back down at the building you came from as Sebastian walked outside with the 'Angel' in his grasp. He looked at it in distaste, then looked up at the tower.

Your gaze went back to it as Ciel and the Queen stopped at the top and Ciel began talking. She turned around and based on her movements, she was offended by what he had said and has she did speak, she was trying to make a point. You lifted your skirt and reached to your garders to grasp onto the several pairs of forks strapped to your thighs.

You glanced back up to see the Queen's hat fly away, along with the black veil that shielded her face. Her eyes were watery as Ciel's eye widened at how young she had looked. He then turned to see Ash sitting close by as he laughed in amusement at Ciel's reaction.

**. . .**

"Surprised, aren't you?"

Ciel was clenching his fists in anger. "You! Where is she? Where is Isabella?!"

Ash rose an eyebrow. "That is what you want to know? Hm." He jumped down and put his hands on his hips. "Well, the last I saw her, she was scrounging around for food and nearly to the point of death in the cage I left her in. A sad sight to see."

Ciel stepped closer. "What do you mean the last you saw her?"

He sighed and put a hand to his head. "But alas, when I returned, she was gone. Based on the state of the cage and the blood on the ground, I can only imagine what happened." There was a satisfied smile on his lips. "She fed on the little treat I left for her and went on her merry way. But since you are here, I think we can assume where she ran off to."

Ciel had a vein popping out by now. "This is your fault for taking her away! You will pay for what you've done!"

"Ash, please." The Queen walked over and gave Ash a look. ""Stop probing him."

He bowed his head. "My apologies, your majesty." He walked over and stood beside her.

She smiled at Ciel. "Ash, unsheathed your blade. I think it's time for Ciel to see the end of it."

Ciel froze up as she continued to smile. "Ash's blade is a thing of true beauty. It will usher forth and brighten up a new century."

Ash grabbed the handle of his sword. "I shall draw my sword against thy wisdom." He pulled it from his sheath and pointed it to him. "And I shall punish the beast within thee. And I shall bring thee down within thy pit."

Ciel stepped back as he stepped forward. "May the great beauty of Heaven greet you. Ciel Phantomhive."

He raced forward with his blade drawn, but at the last moment, Ciel was pulled away by Sebastian who ran beside Ash.

**. . .**

You watched when Sebastian nearly missed Ash as you sharpened your forks to a point of deadliness. From what you saw, Ciel had given Sebastian an order and it was all sounds of metal clashing afterwards.  

The Queen was screaming in horror and desperately asking Ciel to stop. Next, the resulting of their mid-air battle had caused pieces of the tower to fall to the ground. And it was at that moment that Ciel realized he had made a huge mistake.

**. . .**

"Sebastian, stop! We're drawing too much attention to ourselves!"

Sebastian landed in front of him with his knives still in his grasp. "And why would that be a concern? There only puny humans."

Ciel narrowed his eyes. "No! We are withdrawing!"

Sebastian slowly turned his head to look back at Ciel with wide eyes filled as if he didn't even know who he was.

Ash had taken the opportunity to pick up the Queen bridal in style. His wings spread from his back and he flew up and soared away.

Ciel watched in surprise. "Wings?"

Ashe was laughing to himself as he flew away, but that was right before several objects flew by and stabbed straight into the center of his back, where his wings sprouted. He let out a scream of pain, but didn't drop the Queen and looked back with widened eyes.

Ciel watched one of the objects fall to the ground from Ash's back. Sebastian picked up the bloody object that revealed to be a fork.

Ciel looked off into the distance from where it flew. "Isabella?"

**. . .**

The morning had come faster than you anticipated and you dreaded the look on Ciel's face when he would walk out without his usual servant by his side. You gripped your crossed arms in a mixture of anger and anticipation.

Soon enough, Ciel walked out with a face of a puppy when its owner laves them. You only observed as he walked over to a man who was loading a cart of hay.

"S'il vous plaît, Emmenez-moi au port de Calais."

A smile pulled. "Hm, he actually did listen. The port of Calais, hm? He's going to try to get back on his own."

The man turned around and looked down at him. "Hein? Vraiment? Et puis-je demander, ce qu'exactement vous êtes prêt à payer?"

Ciel held up the sack of money he was originally going to give you. "Combien voulez-vous?"

The man grinned.

**. . .**

His ride didn't last long. The man had kicked him off his cart halfway to the destination. You lifted your head when he came running out of a run down hotel, yelling at the person inside.

"You really think I would give this to rubbish like you?!"

You tilted your head and flicked your tail as he walked over and sat against a wall. He brought his knees to his chest and glanced over at you. He outstretched his hand. "It's cold. Come here."

You stood up and walked over to him. He scratched the top of your head, but you meowed in confusion when he grabbed you by your fur and held you up to his face. He looked at you curiously. "Wait...could..."

You shook your head and bit his hand. He yelled and dropped you. _This is plain disappointing of you, master. You can't even find your way of direction. Come on, then._

He glared at you as you ran off down the alley toward the opening of the docks. You heard Ciel yelling after you as he chased after. But once he saw the docks, he stopped and hit his head.

"This whole time, it was right here! Ugh!"

**. . .**

You stared at his sleeping form. His body was slouched against the boxes inside of the cargo hold and it made you sigh. You turned around and walked towards the door that led to the deck.

_Yes, sleep well, master. For tomorrow, you will need your strength. We all will._

The door shut behind you.


	44. His Maid, Up In Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The smoldering cries of an infernal beast echo throughout the streets of London. And for some reason, I find myself without a master. Would you, by chance, wish to enter into a contract with me? Worry not. When the time comes, I shall plunge you into a deep, fathomless, soothing darkness as gently as possible. The pain shall be brief.
> 
> Next Time on Black Maid: "His Maid, Up In Flames"
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

_"You were such a sweet, pure girl, Abigail. But your mother ruined it by fornicating with that demon. I never thought I would find myself cleansing you, of all people. "_

_She stood and turned around, spreading her wings. "Very soon, not only will you be pure, but you will become one of us. An angelical fiend, indeed."_

_"I'd rather watch my mother's death a thousand times before becoming a monster like you."_

_She chuckled. "Monster, am I? A simply horrid thing to call someone. No, I cleansed your mother. She was very impure."_

_I slammed the doors shut and walked forward. "And you believe you will do the same with me? This little trick of yours, it won't work. You can't fool me and you will not cleanse me!"_

_My voice had changed into something darker and this made her gasp and hold herself. "Oh my...you are covered in impurity. The sins you've committed, your way of thinking, the very body you wear is unclean!"_

Your fingers twitched against the wood as your nails began to lightly tap on the railing.

_I was forced back and landed against the wall. And away from my meal!_

_I cursed under my breath as I looked to the culprit and my eyes widened. A woman in white. With large white wings. It was her. The Angel._

_"You..." My voice was different. Deeper, inhuman. It was demonic._

_My anger was fueled as I stood and charged for her. But before I could reach her, she spread her wings, a blinding light erupted and I shielded my eyes. Once it finally died down, I moved my hand and opened my eyes. She was right in front of me, and she was smiling._

_My hands shot out for her throat, but before they could do what I wanted them to, she placed her hand on my face. Her fingers circled around it, covering my eyes._

_"Don't worry. This will all be over soon."_

_With those words, my eyes rolled back and there was darkness._

Your nails were tapping furiously now, to the point where the very wood began to chip and a small hole was forming.

_A loud rumbling erupted beneath my feet and I glanced down to see the bottom of the well. The water boiled to a sizzle and it became red. As red as blood. It made me attempt to swing back even more, but I froze when I heard a demonic male voice._

_The chain holding me over suddenly snapped. I gasped as I fell. My eyes wide and my heart beating non-stop until I hit the water._

"My, you really are torturing that poor railing."

Your nails stopped their symphony of destruction. Slowly, your head turned to look at the person who was leaning against the wall with his hat over his eyes. As he stepped out of the shadows, your eyes narrowed.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

A small smile formed beneath the bowler hat that shielded his face. "Oh, me? Why, it's as if you don't know me at all."

You pushed off the railing and slowly walked towards him. "I don't know you. All I know is who you are. So, here is my question...why are you here?"

He laughed under his breath and shoved his hands in his pockets as he began to circle around you. "So suspicious. And protective of that little human that is drooling over a crate of cabbages right now. I never can understand how much effort you all put into your meals. The problem is, he's not even your true master. Is he, Felis?"

He unexpectedly spun around and his feet skid across the floor to a stop as he faced you. "So, here is my question..." His eyes lifted up and his steel blue orbs stared straight through your red ones as the ghost of a curious smirk appeared on his face. "Why exactly are _you_ here?"

Your lips remained sealed as your eyes stared as a threatening warning back into his. "He sent you, yes? To take me back. I hate to inform you of this, but you wasted the trip. I have my reason for being here and that reason is about to be fulfilled. I will return, just not yet. By the end of today, I will have no purpose of being here. His little flying monkeys interfered after I warned them, they failed their mission, and they paid the price."

While you spoke, he had been moving his head side to side in boredom, but then stopped.

"Ah...you mean Azah and Luesir. He actually sent them? That was doomed to fail from the start. He's a fool for believing otherwise." He looked back up at you. "Let me guess...it has to do with the Angel, right? I hear she's been quite busy these past few years. We've had so many new souls coming in to be tortured. Those reapers must be pulling their hair out. Especially since she trespassed into their precious library and stole their precious cinematic records."

He sucked in air through his teeth and walked closer. He passed by you, then turned around and you felt his lips by the shell of your ear. "I'm not his toy, Felis. I don't act as he tells me. I am not a messenger boy and I could care less about your human or where you end up." He straightened up and let out a sigh. "But, I do part-time of being a delivery boy."

You watched from the corner of your eye as he moved behind you and you felt something fall around your neck. "It's a gift from him. He hopes this will be enough to persuade you back into his arms." There was a click that sounded. He rubbed his hands down your arms and smirked.

"The boy was right. You look much better with your hair up. It shows your beautiful face."

You glanced down and saw the black jewel that rested in the crease of your breasts. He stepped back and walked ahead of you. "I am only here out of boredom. Everyone is preparing for the events that will unfold tonight. It seems you have been for a long time, as well."

He grinned. "This will be quite the show."

You expected him to keep walking, but he stopped his feet and glanced back at you. "How about we make a deal?"

You rose an eyebrow. "A deal?"

He smiled. "Tell you what, after this game of yours ends, I'll tell him that by the time I arrived you were long gone and I wasn't able to find you. And in return..."

You tilted your head. "In return what?"

He gave a small shrug. "Just, when this is all over for you, there's something I want you to do for me."

"What is it that you want?"

A wide smirk pulled at his lips as he slowly looked up at you.

**. . .**

During your encounter, what you didn't know was that Ciel had already woken up. He slid out of the wall of boxes he had pressed himself against and looked around.

But as he moved to leave, he bumped into something. He stepped back and looked up at the man who grinned down at him.

"U-Undertaker?"

**. . .**

"Oh my god!"

"What's happening?"

"It's everywhere!"

You stood watching with an anticipating smile on your face. Your fists gripped the railing at the front of the ship while the passengers were staring and screaming in horror.

From the corner of your eye, you saw Ciel run out and once he saw it too, he stopped in his place. You focused back on the sight of England, the entire land that they had called home, completely engulfed in flames of fiery rage.

He walked closer to the railing and only stood there, staring in frozen shock that he hadn't even noticed who was standing beside him.

"What a sight to gaze upon. She did say she was going to put on a real grand finale."

Slowly, he turned and looked to the person who stood beside him. "Wait...it's you! What are you doing here? You live in Paris!"

You narrowed your eyes as you turned to him. "How exactly would you know where I would live? You don't even know me. If you even cared for your safety, you would have stayed there. Now it's too late. What happens next will be beyond even your control, Ciel."

He had to look back at you again. "What did you just say? I barely even know you, who gave you permission to address me by my name?"

A frown replaced your smile as you glanced down at him. "Ever since you could speak, that's all you've been lecturing me about. 'Isabella, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Ciel?'"

His breath hitched.

_Flashback..._

_"Isabella, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Ciel?" He said while poking your side._

_You chuckled. "My, my, you have been spending far too much time with Lady Elizabeth, my young lord." You said with a smirk as you both walked up to Your master and mistress._

He took a step back and his hand slid back on the railing. You rose an eyebrow and turned your body to fully face him.

"What's wrong, Ciel?" You couldn't help the smirk on your face. "Cat got your tongue?"

He stopped waling backwards once he saw the pink glowing eyes through the bandages. You smiled as you reached up and tore the wrappings that covered your face. they fell to the ground and you looked up at him.

His face at first was unreadable, but then he unexpectedly ran forward and wrapped his arms around you. The force of it made you slightly loose your footing. You gazed down in surprise.

_This was not the reaction I was expecting._

He buried his face in your stomach and you heard him muffle one word. "Isabella..."

With a still confused expression, you rubbed his head and wrapped an arm around his waist. "Hello, Ciel."

"Hehehehehehe, my, you all put on quite the show!"

You looked to the side and your eyes widened. "Unnie? What are you doing here?"

Ciel let go of you as you ran to Undertaker and pulled him into a hug. He giggled and held you close to him. "I think the real question right now is where have you been, dearie?"

You smiled as you pulled away. "I've had a few arons to run." You turned and looked back to the flaming land that was growing closer. Your smile fell. "And it seems my work is yet to be finished."

**. . .**

A belt of laughter rang out over the buildings that were burning from the inside out, echoing in the heads of those who were on the verge of burning to death or running from it and the person who had released it was grinning from ear to ear.

"Look at this filth. it's absolutely horrid."

As his eyes moved around, they landed on a figure who was running with a maid. "He's here. He made it all the way back to London on his own?" He turned and looked over his shoulder at the figure behind him. "Tell me, what do you think of the view?"

The person stayed silent, and Ash turned all the way around. "Speak your mind."

Sebastian had a frown practically glued to his face, his eyes glistening in boredom. "Compared to the Great Fire of London in 1696, this one burns rather slowly."

Ash smirked. "Yes. Well, filth takes time to burn." He lifted his arms and the fire was fueled, rising it up to burn even more of the city. "Soon, it will all be cleansed." he turned back around and hummed.

"You know, when I pictured this moment, I will admit it was always with Isabella and I watching side by side. Do you think she would enjoy this? I think she would. A very sadistic little kitten, she is."

Sebastian's lips pressed firmly together in annoyance. Ash had noticed this and smiled. "Oh, sorry. A sensitive topic for you, I imagine." He chuckled to himself and as he turned to look again at the city below, his sight had stopped and moved back to a few buildings across.

He saw a dark figure moving quickly in the shadows, running and jumping from rooftop to rooftop. His amusement began to fade.

"Despite al the good qualities she possesses, she is a fool. Always has been and always will. I gave her a chance to be something. To be who she truly was, but she rejected me. She manipulated me for her own use because she has one quality that neither you, nor me will ever have."

His teeth gritted as he watched the figure continue jumping and running on the roofs in sync with Ciel and his maid.

"Loyalty."

After a few seconds, a devious smirk came on Ash' s face. "You know, I've been thinking. I wouldn't mind a partnership with you. Especially after the failure with Isabella. With you, Sebastian,  by my side, she will surely crumble and finally fall."

**. . .**

_**"With you, Sebastian, by my side, she will surely crumble and finally fall."** _

You stumbled as you landed on another rooftop and your feet slid to a stop at the base of the ledge over the roof.

Your head rose up as you looked to the roof that was only a few buildings away.  The ashes flew in your face as your hair blew to the side by the wind. Your eyes were looking at them.

And you were too distracted to know that Ciel was looking up at you, waiting for you to jump down to him.

"Come on. Isabella, what the hell are you doing?"

When you heard him mutter, you glanced down at him. But your gaze went back to Sebastian.

**_'Trust him, Isabella.'_ **

You looked down at the ring that was once again on your finger. You stole one last glance at your dear crow, before turning away and jumping on one more roof top.

A loud growl made your body tense up. You looked over and saw Pluto, standing high up on a structure. The collar residing around his neck was glowing, explaining his form of the demon hound. His eyes were glowing a blazing red as every roar he let out released one made of fire.

By seeing his state, you now knew how the town became a fiery wasteland. And by looking at the collar, you realized exactly how he was activated.

**. . .**

Finny was in tears, Mey-Run was covering her eyes and Bard was tearfully loading his rifle.

Ciel watched Pluto in disappointment. "He's too far gone. Take the shot, Bard."

He looked over at Finny and Mey-Rin. "And you two. Crying like children. I expect more from servants of my family."

Their sobbing grew quiet as they, along with Bard saluted him. "Yes, master."

Ciel nodded in approval, then turned around and began running in the opposite direction, leaving his servants to their work.

Bard cocked his rifle and aimed it up at Pluto. Once he was in his sight, just as Bard was about to squeeze the trigger, he was blinded by something. He looked away and realized a black coat was thrown on top of him.

"What the hell?"

Mey-Rin gasped. "It's Isabella!"

Finny pointed up at you as you had jumped on the structure and got Pluto's attention by calling his name. Pluto looked to you and his eyes burned with rage as he let out another roar.

. . .

"We can rule the newly born world. The clean world. When it springs for the fire. It won't be difficult at all. All we have to do left is take down the abomination."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "And how would that work? For one, my mate cannot be killed. Any attempt of doing so and you would have all of hell along with the grim reapers as your enemy."

Ash chuckled at this. "Death wasn't exactly my intention. I have something far better in mind for our sweet little kitty. She's already weak enough. All I need is you. And that ring she cherishes so much."

He frowned. "I thought I was the epitemy of the uncleanliness you so detest."

Ash stepped forward with his arms spread out. "If you look closely, all things are two sides of the same coin. All contain both the clean goodness of the mind and evil darkness that plagues out hearts."

He glanced to the side. "Isabella is not but one like you or I, she is confused, pulled in different directions. My goal is to guide the way of her natural born purity."

He looked up at him. "And with that purity, she holds a certain power. This power matched matches that of God, she is a being to not be trifles with. To harness and control that power, anyone can rule."

A darkness flickered in Sebastian's eyes as he turned to look at him. "You wish to weaken Isabella even further, to completely break her until she is as lost as a human. Purify her, then create her into a weapon. You want to use her for your own selfishness in order to satisfy your hunger for power."

Ash tilted his head. "I'm not sure about your tone. Don't tell me you would actually care. No?"

Sebastian furrowed his brows as Ash began to unbutton his coat and shirt.

"So you hunger for something else?"

He pulled open his articles of clothing to display his bare chest, that surprisingly had breasts.

"If you hunger, I can come to you as a woman."

His voice had changed into a blend of Ash and Angela. Along with his face, that now looked like Angela.

This made Sebastian's eyes narrow as a spread of darkness filled them.

"It's Isabella!"

By the sound of your name, they were both looking back to the servants. But Sebastian looked up and his eyes widened once he saw you jump on the structure.

**. . .**

As you looked around at your audience, you felt a prideful smile on your face. "Now that everyone is finally seeing me, it's time to put on a show."

You stood up and eyes the large hound that breathed his fire into a building.

"Pluto!"

His head snapped to you and you shook your head in disapproval.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You have been a very bad dog."

A growl vibrated in his throat as he let out another roar.

Your fingers wrapped around the bandages on your left hand. With one movement, they were torn off, along with the ones on your right.

"So, you wanna play, do you?"

You rolled your head around, until you heard a pop from your neck.

A smirk appeared on your lips as your eyes flashed demonic. "Then let's play."

He let out another roar as he charged forward. You stood still until he came close enough, then you jumped up.

He slid to a stop, nearly falling over on the side.

"Over here, puppy."

He turned and saw you standing dangerously close to the edge.

The servants watched in fear. Without wasting a second, Pluto charged again as fire blades from his nostrils. This time, you didn't jump or run, you let him push you down.

His paws slammed down on either side of your head as his body hovered over yours and his tail slapped down, all preventing any attenot of escape.

His teeth snarled. His eyes raged as he let out an intimidating roar in your face.

You coughed a bit due to the foul stench of his breath. His head leaned closer to your face and you went still. Slowly, you rose a hand and lightly petted his nose. For a moment, he made a move to literally bite your hand off, but he started to relax into the touch.

However, as he leaned in closer, your other hand went to his neck. You grabbed around the collar, and at the last second, he growled, but it was too late. Your other hand grabbed it and by using all of your strength, you pulled it apart.

The pieces shattered and fell down to the burning ground below.

You stared at Pluto's eyes. For a moment, he stepped back and groaned out a whimper. But then, as he looked back to you, his eyes slowly returned back. A blinding light erupted and once it died down, Pluto was again, a naked man, quivering in fear.

**. . .**

Everyone stepped back as you landed on the ground with Pluto in your arms. He kept his arms around your neck, so you very slowly placed him on the ground. You picked up a charred blanket off the ground and placed it over his shoulders.

He wrapped it tight around himself and curled up into a bawl, whimpering.

When you stood up, your eyes widened as you were tackled by the servants.

Your back slammed against the flat ground. They were showering you in hugs and kisses and tears.

"Isabella, you're here! You came back!"

"I knew you wouldn't leave us, you're too important!"

"You saved Pluto! We missed you so much!"

You sighed in annoyance. "Yes, I'm here."

You sat up and stood up as the stood and smiled at you.

You brushed off your clothes and narrowed your eyes at them.

"Why are you all here? Why aren't you at the manor? Remember your jobs. Protect the manor no matter what."

Their smiles fell and the atmosphere became quiet. You rose an eyebrow at all of them expectantly.

Bard rubbed the back of his neck as they all looked at each other. Mey-Rin looked at you and stepped forward.

"Um...well...when Pluto began all of this...he..."

Your brows furrowed in concern. "He what, Mey-Rin?"

She sighed in sadness and looked up into your eyes. "It's the manor, miss. It..."

Your jaw clenched and without another word, you turned and ran. Mey-Rin called after you, but you only increased your speed.

_No. It_ _can't_ _be gone. It_ _can't_ _. It has to be there!_

Not once did your speed slow, you were determined to get there. You needed to see it for yourself.

Though you didn't stop, as you ran closer and closer to it, there was far more damage. Victims of the flames were long dead and charred. There were even still some who were begging for help.

You ignored them.

You turned off into the road that led to the front of the manor. The very first thing you noticed, the woods surrounding the forest were still burning, but were all black and nearly gone.

You got closer and closer, until your feet had stopped. Falling to the ground, your knees sunk in the ashes that now made up the ground.

For the first time in centuries, your confidence had wavered. It was all gone. Everything. Rubble, result of the roof, the pillars, the walls. Only a few were standing.

It felt like an eternity that you stared at the remains.

"Twice, I have seen the fall and the aftermath of this structure. Of the Phantomhives."

Your eyes tightly shut as you stood up. Your legs were completely covered in black, along with your hands.

**_'No_ ** **_. I-I_ ** **_won't_ ** **_end here. Not like this!!'_ **

The marks engraved on the backs of your hands shined. The ring upon your finger glowed brightly.

**_'What are you waiting_ ** **_For_ ** **_?_ ** **_Don't_ ** **_just stand there. Go! End this!'_ **

Your eyes slitted and they, too, glowed a grand pink color. You closed them.

Seconds passed, and once you opened them again, you found yourself standing in the dark corner of a room in the castle. By looking to the side, Ciel was on the floor in a pool of his own blood, surrounded by soldiers.

You smirked to yourself. "Yes, my Lord."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh! Listen well, my dear readers. The next chapter of Black Maid will be the last. I want to thank each and every one of you for clicking on this story and actually deciding to keep reading it. This has become far more than just a fanfiction story to me, it is a very precious part of me that I desperately will cherish forever. I can't wait to cry at the ending with all of you. Until next time!


	45. His Maid, Fluent (END)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have waited a long time for this, my young master. Combing your fine, dainty locks. Fastening the buttons on your shirt, one by one. It was all I could do to keep the surge of emotion in check. 
> 
> But now, at last, the moment has come. There is no need to hold back. Bon Appetite!
> 
> Next Time on Black Maid: "His Maid, Fluent"
> 
> You see, I am simply one hell of a maid.

"Yes, my Lord."  
  
As his eyes closed, a satisfying smile appeared on Ciel's face.  
  
And it was then that all of the soldiers surrounding him had begun firing.  
  
Shell cases fell to the ground as bullet after bullet was shot out. And yet, when the gunfire ceased, the boy remained laying there, unharmed.  
  
But in front of him, a person was kneeling down with his hands stretched out. With every bullet that was shot, now in between his fingers.  
  
Ciel was staring at the person in dazed confusion. "You came..."  
  
Sebastian looked back at him. "It's just as you said, master. You won't end here."  
  
"Not now, at least."  
  
Ciel's gaze rose up while Sebastian looked behind the soldiers with narrowed eyes.  
  
Suddenly, the screams of the soldiers filled the room as they collapsed to the floor. All but one. That one soldier watched them drop like flies with fear in his enlarged eyes.  
  
They all groaned and gasped in painful agony as you walked out of the shadows and into the open.  
  
But as you did walk forward, one of the soldiers grabbed onto your leg.  
  
Your eyes slowly moved to look down at his crawling body. There was a great deal of fear and desperation in his eyes.  
  
"Please...help me! Have mercy, I beg you!"  
  
Your head tilted to fully look at him.  
  
_Flashback...  
  
A hand's tight grip on your boot made you stop and look over at it's owner, the elderly man was bloody and had at least 3rd degree burns covering his body, his legs broken, making him result to crawling as he managed to reach through the bars of his cell.  
  
"Please...have mercy on me...please help me..." He said while choking on his own blood._  
  
He gasped and his breathing stopped when your eyes flashed momentarily demonic.  
  
"You may beg like the dog you are, but mercy is forever out of your reach."  
  
You pulled your foot from his grasp and continued walking.  
  
Sebastian projected a glare that held a mixture of anger and questioning.  
  
You passed by him and only glanced in his direction, before kneeling down and picking up Ciel in your arms. But before you actually could, Ciel stopped you.  
  
"You're late."  
  
You paused to smile. "I took care of our little problem concerning Pluto. The servants have him under control now, and they have temporarily retreated from the city."  
  
He didn't say anything else as you stood, holding him in a bridal style as he wrapped his arms around your neck.  
  
You rose an eyebrow. "Your orders, master?"  
  
He looked at you, then Sebastian. "I want you both to take me to this Angel of massacre!"  
  
Sebastian's expression grew less angered as he placed a hand over his heart. "As you wish, my Lord."  
  
You simply nodded, but your eyes momentarily locked with Sebastian's.  
  
"She is awaiting us. Their is a special place she has chosen for our final dueling."  
  
He frowned. "And how do you know that?"  
  
You offered a smile. "She told me."  
  
Your smile was also offered towards Ciel as you looked at him, then you began walking. And once you felt that familiar arm firmly around your waist, your smile widened.  
  
Sebastian kept a neutral faced as he walked beside you, but his arm was securely keeping you in his embrace.  
  
"W-what the hell are you?!"  
  
You both stopped your steps.  
  
"Neither of you can be human!"  
  
You both turned your heads in to the remaining soldier.  
  
Sebastian chuckled. "No. You see..."  
  
You smiled. "We are simply..."  
  
Yours and Sebastian's eyes turned demonic and in perfect unison, you both spoke.  
  
"One hell of a maid and butler."  
  
**. . .  
**  
Sebastian looked at Ciel as Ciel climbed into the small boat and sat in front of you.  
  
"Master, prepare yourself."  
  
He used the rowing ore to push off the dock and he began rowing it in the water.  
  
As you glanced at the water, you noticed the glimmering of the jewel necklace locked around your neck.  
  
"Did you use the absent time from working to shop?"  
  
You looked back to Ciel, however he wasn't looking at you.  
  
"You weren't wearing that before. Even Madame Jacqueline Brisebois never sported such an expensive looking trinket. Yet when I saw you again on the ship, you had it on. So what is it for? It's not like someone simply have it to you."  
  
You kept your head up and your lips pressed together. "It's from no-one special."  
  
Sebastian's movements stopped. You kept your eyes ahead and after a few seconds, he continued rowing.  
  
One the boat grew closer to the location, Ciel looked to the side and saw numerous unconscious bodies all along the dock and on land.  
  
He furrowed his brows. "Where exactly is it we are going?"  
  
Your eyes looked around you at the wrecked bridges the boat was passing by. "There are several bridges here known as 'Devil's Bridge'. Because supposedly, they were made by demons."  
  
Your eyes became narrowed as you passed underneath an archway, and a full view of an unfinished bridge was shown.  
  
"And there. That is the tower bridge. In all likelihood, it was instructed by the Angel for her majesty to build."  
  
Ciel stared, his eyes enlarged when he saw all that made up the bridge. The pain and distorted faces of all the humans forced as a part at the Angel's hand moaned out as they desperately tried to escape the clutches of the bridge that was strongly keeping them in place.  
  
"Human sacrifices?! How can anyone consider this to be a holy bridge?"  
  
Sebastian merely looked over the faces, not at all fazed by them. "One can go too far. At this point, good becomes even worse than evil."  
  
Once Sebastian got close enough to the side of the bridge, you both jumped out. And while Sebastian tied the boat in place, you stopped Ciel as he tried to climb out.  
  
You gave a smile. "Master, would you please wait here for us?"  
  
He narrowed his eyes and his voice was firm. "I'm coming with you."  
  
Sebastian stood and exhaled through his mouth. "What Isabella is implying, rather trying to spare your feelings from it, is you will hold us back."  
  
Ciel glared at Sebastian, but then looked at you. "I see. So you're saying you can't handle him if you're feted down?"  
  
For a moment, you were about to lecture him, but you stopped yourself, and after looking to the side, a smirk came on your lips. "If you insist that as your preference. I promise you will have the best seat in the house, my Lord."  
  
**. . .  
**  
Ash stood atop the bridge, staring out into the chaotic fire that continued to plague the streets of London. "It's burning. The Queen's dream. The humans'."  
  
A delighted sigh came from his lips as he casted his head back. "At last, the great notable day of our father comeith. We have our signs, dearest blood, and fire, and smoke."  
  
Tears began to stream down his eyes as he looked back at the sight. "You can see it, too, Abigail. I know you can."  
  
Due to his eyes too transfixed on his creation, he didn't even look to the right where you stood beside Sebastian, while he held up Ciel with one arm.  
  
Ciel called out to Ash. "Why did you kill the Queen?"  
  
His voice was monotone. "Her eyes were clouded."  
  
Ciel didn't really expect his answer. "Her eyes?"  
  
His voice sounded in disappointment. "They should've been firmly fixed on the future. But held captive by the past, they dulled and rotted. So I had no other choice. I had to purify her."  
  
You looked to the side when Sebastian walked away to set Ciel down. You cautiously followed after him, until you heard him speak once more.  
  
"You haven't changed at all, Abigail. Despite all you have endured, all the physical transformations you have taken, your soul - to this day- it remains pure." He creased his brows in confusion. "Why couldn't you just let me have you? Allow the pureness of your soul - the purifying fire of God to forever cleanse your darkened, sinful heart."  
  
You turned your head to him and shook your head, mostly to yourself. "Perhaps there is a God above for you to believe in. But to fully have faith in an idea, a single being - all I've learned from it was how to use the blindness of a faithful soul to my advantage. There is no escape, there is no freedom, there is no paradise, there is only the beautiful lie and the painful truth."  
  
He outstretched his arms as a smile grew on his face. "That isn't what you used to believe. It isn't too late for you. You can still conform."  
  
You fully faced him, the annoyance increasing visibly on your face. "None of you seem to understand what is directly in front of you. For the final time, I am not a demon, I am not human, and I am most certainly not an Angel. Honestly, it's tiring to repeat myself."  
  
Sebastian stood and looked down at Ciel expectantly. "Master, your orders now."  
  
You instinctively turned back to Ciel as he ripped off his eyes patch and looked directly at the both of you in determination. "Sebastian. Isabella. I order you: Kill the Angel now!"  
  
Eyes already glowing in the darkness, you both bowed your heads to him. "Yes, my Lord."  
  
However, as soon as you turned around and made the fast move forward, a hand on your bicep stopped you. You looked back at your mate in frustration.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?"  
  
His face was completely blank of emotion, but when he spoke, his voice was only serious.  
  
"You're too weak to fight."  
  
You gave him a defined look. "Sebastian, now is not the time for you to have concern over me. I'm perfectly capable-"  
  
"When I left you in that cell, you weren't capable of walking or even staying conscious. You fed once on a small pool of blood. Despite your healed wounds, you are in no condition to battle something of this strength."  
  
"Sebastian-"  
  
"Stop. Stay by the masters side and keep him away from the fight. That is your only concern right now."  
  
Your eyes narrowed as your fists opened and closed.  
  
"Let. Go."  
  
His grip only tightened. "For once, stop retaliating. Be a good kitten for me and do what you're told. This was never your fight to begin with."  
  
Without thinking, your other hand shot out to his face. However, his reflexes were too fast and he caught your arm before your nails clawed his face.  
  
Your lips trembled in anger. "Don't you dare try to tame me. You have no idea what this fight is even about. This game had begun long before Ciel was even born."  
  
You pulled your arms free from his grasp and leered at him. "This game was never one between Ciel and the Angel. Don't you see?"  
  
You glanced back at Ash. "Everyone, every since that day...they have all been pawns in our game."  
  
Ash finally tore his gaze away from the view and looked at you with a sense of ambition.  
  
"Soon, this bridge will reach further, cleansing every soul in it's wake."  
  
He turned his body to unsheathe his sword. "No demon, not human shall be allowed to cross it."  
  
He pointed the blade to you. "I will not give up on you, Abigail. You are far too valuable."  
  
His feet began walking to you. "I shall penetrate you and leave you filled with pureness. As clean, as pure white as snow! I will now finally purify you!"  
  
You began stepping further away from Sebastian, drawing closer to the Angel.  
  
Sebastian, however, was determined. He made advancing movements to keep you at bay, but unfortunately, he was pulled back and his body slammed up against one of the metal beams. He once again attempted to lunge forward, but he found he couldn't move.  
  
"Sebastian!"  
  
As he looked around, a dark cloud of smoke was holding him in place. It was forming everywhere. Ciel gasped and stood up, but the darkness was still closing in around you.  
  
Sebastian locked sight on you. You only stood where you were, facing the Angel.  
  
And once he realized the dark cloud of smoke was completely surrounding you, but not closing in, he narrowed his eyes.  
  
"What is this?"  
  
Ash glanced at Sebastian. "She is right, Sebastian. My quarrel has always been with the abomination child. I don't need your interference, demon."  
  
Sebastian, although knowing it would be pointless, once again tried moving his body. "Isabella."  
  
You stood still, hands tightly balled into fists.  
  
"Isabella!"  
  
Ash smiled as he stepped forward and the darkness continued to swirl around you. "Hear them, Abigail. The very root, the core of their souls. They are right there, waiting for you to devour them."  
  
Your head was down, but your eyes were closed as you tried to block them out.  
  
His smile grew out of pleasure as the darkness seemed to cling to his form. "Oh, it's so lovely. It feels..."  
  
"Oh, yes."  
  
The dark matter had momentarily covered his face, but you heard his voice transform. And once it cleared up, it was Angela in Ash's clothes.  
  
"It feels..good. Nicer than any human has touched before."  
  
Slowly, you rose your head up with your eyes now open. "Look at you. An Angel, reveling in impurity. You are truly fallen."  
  
The cloud was again covering her face, and you now heard the ring of Ash's voice. "Impurity is not something I am personally able to enjoy. But..."  
  
Out of the darkness flew several of her sharp feathers. You moved, just barely out of the way. But, the last one had sliced the side of your arm.  
  
You groaned as you clutched it and fell to the metal floor. _What? No, it can't be..._  
  
"Nevertheless, it does endow me in a certain amount of power."  
  
The fog was clearing up, to where you could see Ash, along with his wings that were coated in a red substance. He held up an empty vile and smirked. "Meaning I won't need something as small as this for much longer."   
  
_Flashback...  
  
He trailed off when she held up two large viles. And one was filled to the rim with red liquid while the other had been recently emptied. His eyes widened.  
  
She chuckled. "I assume by the look on your face, you know what this is. It's interesting, why would this, out of all things, be her weakness? Someone with as much power as she, you would think this would be nothing."_  
  
He tossed the vile over his shoulder, then closed his eyes as he inhaled. "Ah, yes. I'm growing stronger by the minute."  
  
You sighed in growing annoyance as you felt your entire arm begin to go numb. "This is getting old, you know. How on earth can we have a proper fight if you don't play by the rules?"  
  
A playful smile spread on his face. "Oh, my dear, sweet Abigail. I never once intended to fight you. And now, you are growing weaker and more corruptible by the minute. Oh, what shall I do with you now?"  
  
You managed to sit up as he disappeared in the smoke. "I still have so many options."  
  
You looked back, over your shoulder as Angela now appeared. "I haven't given up on you, you know. What do you say we have some fun in our pool of impurity together?"  
  
You narrowed your eyes in distaste. "Sorry, I don't see you as my type. I don't see any positives that come out of having fun with someone that has both sex organs."  
  
You looked to your right as her voice animated from a covered smoke. "If you refuse to accept me in the lunar form of a woman..."  
  
The smoke once again cleared, showing Ash with his sword by his face. "Then I shall assume a man's form. And I will penetrate you with my light. I will sink my shaft into you all the way to the hilt."  
  
You stared at him for a few seconds. "You don't have a tag, do you?"  
  
Within the blink of an eye, he was kneeling in front of you. Your vision was growing less and less clear and you barely made him out. You felt your arms be lifted up as someone wrapped an arm around your waist.  
  
You were delirious and thought of the only person who would do that. "Sebastian...?"  
  
Using every ounce of strength he had, Sebastian another attempt of freeing himself, now anxious to rip the arms off the Angel that dared to go around you.  
  
Ash stroked your chin and his lips whispered closely on the flesh of your cheek. "You knew this was inevitable. Such a foolish girl you are." His hand smoothed down your arm to intertwine his fingers with yours. "I guess it's true. You truly are a blissful sin."  
  
He carefully set you down as you made out a sentence. "No....I am....his..."  
  
He completely ignored you and stood up. He took a few steps forward and unsheathed his sword. "The final hour of judgement is almost upon us. Hear me, you abomination. Your chest shall be the sheath to my sword."  
  
His face twisted into a crazed grin as he turned and ran forward. At the last second, you managed to stand up and jump out of the way. For a moment, you breathed out in relief. But that was before you heard the tearing of cloth and blood splatter.  
  
Your body froze up. And moments after you knew the sound had not come from you, you slowly turned around. Your eyes widened in horror as Sebastian was forcibly slammed onto the ground, held down by Ash's foot.  
  
That wasn't why they widened, though. His arm had been cleanly sliced off and it had landed in front of the base by your feet. You stared down at it, unable to fully process what had just happened.  
  
"You dare to interfere, to take away my target. Now, you shall take her place." Ash rose his sword over his head.  
  
In the blink of an eye, all of everything seemed to stop. The smoke in the air was floating slowly, Ciel's mouth was opened wide, ready to scream out Sebastian's name. The Angel was looking down at Sebastian in crazed glee. And Sebastian was only looking back at him, and you swore you could see the smallest of smiles on his face.  
  
Not a moment's hesitation later, you found yourself running. Though severely weak, you didn't dare to stop. You ran as fast as you could until you were the one Ash was standing over. And at that last fraction of a second, just as the palms of your hands touched the metal beams beside Sebastian's face, you felt it.  
  
The blade flashed as he brought it over his head and hummed a low, swift tune when he brought it down. It was so fast, you barely felt the stinging of the metal pass through you. You let out a silent scream and felt blood well into your throat.  
  
It wasn't until mere seconds after, that you looked deep into Sebastian's eyes as they widened from the feeling of your blood splattering on his cheek.  
  
You managed a small, weak smile and closed your eyes. Your body slid off of his and just barely, the tips of your lips grazed his. You rolled over, and instantly, the metal beneath it was gone. But right before you could begin free falling, a hand caught yours.  
  
With a single movement, you felt yourself be yanked back up. A hand caught your back and held you in place.  
  
You cracked your eyes open at the feeling of your chest being pressed against someone else's.  
  
Worry filled crimson red eyes met yours. No words were spoken.  
  
And by the chuckling that filled the air, your head turned. Ash watched you both in amusement.  
  
"As I said. A real foolish girl."  
  
He reached inside his pocket and held up an object.  
  
Weakly, you reached out to it.  
  
"No...master...N-"  
**  
*smash***  
  
The size of your eyes increased. The pain that once burned like fire had faded away to an icy numbness once the pieces of your ring shattered an d crumbled to pieces. Black filled the edges of your vision and the only thing you could hear was your own heartbeat. Your breath came in ragged, shallow gasps.   
  
As the trembling hands of your lover embraced you, your vision faded and a final breath left your bloodied lips, the light in your eyes slowly faded away, never to be seen again.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"No."  
  
Sebastian couldn't comprehend, couldn't accept what he had just seen.  
  
"Enough of this. Your game is over. Open your eyes, Isabella. Let us fight together."  
  
Moments passed and nothing, absolutely nothing happened.  
  
**_'You didn't actually think that would work, did you?'_ **  
  
Sebastian rose his head from where it was resting on your chest and looked to the side and the shattered ring that once belonged to his kitten.  
  
_**'What are you waiting for? He just killed your mate. End him.'** _  
  
After great consideration and a moment's hesitation, Sebastian placed your body on the metal beams. He stood up and looked at you one more time, before turning to face the culprit who was a soon to be dead man.  
  
Said culprit was sneering in anger as all the blackness began to have numerous shined disappearing's. "Grim reapers! How dare they interfere in our sacred ceremony!"  
  
Sebastian's voice was monotone as a frown was only present on his face. "Yes. A real pity. A shame we have to miss out on that cleansing of yours."  
  
He tilted his head to look at him. "Shall we continue our fight?"  
  
Ash narrowed his eyes. "Ha. I had hoped to have some fun battling you. So much for that."  
  
They were too busy talking that neither of them noticed the blue light float out of the ring's remains and maneuver its way over to your body. Your lips were parted, still, leaving just enough room for the light to slip through. And your fingers began twitching moments after.  
  
He put his fingers in his mouth and blew out a long, lasting whistle that ranged out to the city. But after a good minute of nothing following it, he clenched his teeth in annoyance.  
  
"Where is that cursed demon hound?"  
  
Sebastian smiled in mockery as he glanced at your body. "You did it. Well do-"  
  
He cut himself off once he registered you were no longer there. Hearing his own breath hitched, he looked around, until he spotted a hunched over figure, crawling on the ground a great distance from them.  
  
You were heavily breathing as your hands harshly grabbed and clawed the metal beams. Your hair covered your face and your legs were bent underneath you as you felt the hunger building up.  
  
Ash paused his action and looked behind him. His entire face changed into fear and terror once he saw what Sebastian had been looking at.  
  
Ciel stood from his seat and looked out at you. "Isabella?"  
  
The noises that came from your lips were animalistic. But Sebastian could make out one word that made his mind fear the worst.  
  
"More..."  
  
Without even moving your legs, your body lifted up and  your feet landed on the floor. "It's not enough. I'm beyond ravenous. I need more. More!"  
  
There were remaining clouds of smoke in the air. Still hundreds of dark parts of the human soul that were flying above your heads. With arms outstretched and head still low, you let out a screech.  
  
This screech was deafening. It rang through the heads of all that heard it. While covering his ears, Ciel dropped to the floor.  
  
As the sound rang in the air, all the remaining black smoke matter swirled around in the air. Swirling and swirling, it all began to form a tornado around you. None of them could even see you now. The moans of the dark souls surrounding you began to disappear slowly as their moans turned to screams.  
  
Ash's sword slipped from his hand and fell down to the water beneath him. He watched with hundreds of emotions swarming in his eyes as tears once again fell from his eyes.  
  
"All of that power..."  
  
The smoke started to change and morph into a white colored fog. Another screech was heard. A boom sounded and all of the fog created spread out at a fast speed. But as soon as Ash was swallowed in it, it ceased expanding.  
  
Ciel shook his head in disbelief. "What is happening?"  
  
**. . .**  
  
Once forced into the mysterious fog, Ash was looking around, searching for any sign of movement out of paranoia.  
  
"For quite some time, I've been holding my true self back."  
  
He spun around with his wings ready to attack, but there was no one there.  
  
"And now, finally, the moment is perfect."  
  
His head snapped to the right, but still, there was nothing.  
  
"Centuries ago, you took something very precious from me. This game of ours, it is time for it to end."  
  
As he kept his eyes wide open for any glimpse of you, he didn't notice the figure standing behind him.  
  
"A climax that can only be savored by experiencing one's body being ripped apart."  
  
One final time, he turned around. He instantly stepped back, for what he saw made him fear for his very life.  
  
As your tail wrapped around his legs and your wings folded over the both of you, your eyes lit up a luminescent blue with a black pulsating hue around them. You smirked, showing off your sharp fangs.  
**  
. . .**  
  
Watching in suspense, Ciel jumped when the fog animated a scream and several shards of white feathers shot out from it.  
  
"Master!" Sebastian ran in time to jump on top of Ciel, allowing a great number of shards to puncture deep into his back.  
  
Ciel opened his eyes. "Sebastian, what happened?"  
  
He glanced over and noticed the shards that impaled him.  
  
Sebastian was frowning. "It's her hunger. It's devouring her very mind." He leaned back to look into Ciel's blue eyes. "Young master, may I ask a favor?"  
  
He then leaned down to whisper by his ear. "Close your eyes."  
  
"What?"  
  
His eyes narrowed. "I am your butler. It isn't acceptable to ruin my master's image of me. Until I give the word, please, close them."  
  
After a few seconds of silence, he responded. "Yes, I'll do it."  
  
Sebastian moved back and once he saw Ciel close his eyes, he stood up. He turned around and smiled as he walked toward the large, dissipating fog that was slowly evaporating and revealing the large dark, blood red wings that were wrapped around those in the center.  
  
"Well, then. At last, I shall show you my true form. My kitten."  
  
**. . .**  
  
**_♪London Bridge is falling down♪_ **  
  
Your heels slammed down on his arms, instantly cracking every bone within them.  
  
"So unclean!"  
  
_**♪falling down, falling down♪** _  
  
Clenching your fist tightly, you used all of your force to plunge it through his stomach that went out his back.  
  
"Agh! Impure soul! Impure heart!"  
  
_**♪London Bridge is falling down♪** _  
  
Wrapping your hands around his wings and gouging your nails in them, with a powerful pull, you cleanly ripped them apart from his body.  
  
"Braaagrh! Filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy! Evil!"  
_**  
♪My Fair Lady♪** _  
  
You grabbed his face with your hand and looked directly into his eyes through the gaps of your fingers.  
  
"Enjoy your paradise."  
  
Your claws dug deep into his face until blood began spewing out of his sockets.  
  
"Aaaaaarg! Aaaargh! Braaaaagh! Burn in hell!!!!!"  
  
A blinding light erupted. And when you were blinded by it, you felt something push you down and there was a heavy force lying on top of you.  
  
The entire bridge shook as a huge amount of powerful force rang out with the light.  
  
Slowly, it died down. And when it dis, you saw the black claws that were flat beside your head. You looked up, and once you saw who it was, a big grin spread on your face.  
  
You easily sat up and before he could move, you wrapped your legs around him and pressed your lips against his.  
  
He didn't even hesitate to respond.  
  
He kissed the droplets of blood from your lips, and you felt his lips smile against yours. He swept your hair aside and kissed you just over the collarbone. He nibbled at your ear, and then sank himself into your arms. He hung his fingers on your waistband, dragging you closer. He buried his face in your shoulder curve, your hands flexing around his back.  
  
And that's when you heard it. You could've sworn you heard a reduced groan. “I love you,” into your hair.   
  
This made you completely freeze up.  
  
"Sebastian!"  
  
The sound of Ciel's frantic voice brought you back. You both hesitantly released each other and moved to the side, where Ciel was dangling over the edge.  
  
Sebastian's calming voice spoke. "It's over now, master."  
  
Ciel opened his eyes, to see his two servants. Both again dressed in their uniforms, but fresh blood stained their clothes, especially the left sleeve where Sebastian's arm previously was.  
  
You both smiled down at him. His face was one of relief.  
  
And that was when he let go.  
  
Sebastian's eyes widened when Ciel fell down to his watery grave, and once he saw his cinematic record begin to play, he too dived off the edge.  
  
And what did you do?  
  
You stood there, gazing down as Sebastian caught Ciel in his arms and they both hit the water.  
  
That was all you did.  
  
As I tell this story, I imagine you might ask why you weren't also moving to save Ciel.  
  
Simple. It's because you had no reason to. As you might recall, your ring was destroyed . Your master's soul was devoured by you. And you had just finished the contract you made with Ciel.  
  
So no, you didn't save him. Instead, you turned around and you walked off the bridge.  
  
**. . .**  
  
You walked through Autumn leaves that covered the ground, once belonging to the cement road that was buried beneath.  
  
The trees were most memorable. You often would hide from her when she wanted you to milk the cows.  
  
But of course, that wasn't what was on your mind.  
  
_Flashback...  
  
He smiled. "Tell you what, after this game of yours ends, I'll tell him that by the time I arrived you were long gone and I wasn't able to find you. And in return..."  
  
You tilted your head. "In return what?"  
  
He gave a small shrug. "Just, when this is all over for you, there's something I want you to do for me."  
  
"What is it that you want?"  
  
A wide smirk pulled at his lips as he slowly looked up at you.  
  
"Tell me. Do you remember the gateway from hell into this city?"  
  
Your face fell. "How can I forget?"  
  
He rubbed his chin. "See, I only agreed to come see you because it was my way out."  
  
He put his hands in his pockets. "I don't plan on going back. And I don't want them to come looking for me so..."  
  
He shrugged and looked at you seriously. "The passage back to hell for London. I need you to destroy it."_  
  
You soon reached the destination you were looking for. Ashes and the crumbled rocks of the former structure still remained. But you merely glanced at the ruins of the church as you passed by.  
  
Another minute of walking and your feet stopped. The well.  
  
For a good moment, you stared at it. And then, you reached up and ripped off the necklace that was around your neck.  
  
Looking at it, you held it up, over the opening of the well.  
  
"O, mi domine. Peto a vobis. Dona mihi aditus ad regna."  
  
(Oh my lord. I ask of you. Grant me access into your kingdom.)  
  
A familiar loud rumbling erupted and you glanced down to see the bottom of the well. The water boiled to a sizzle and it became dark red. And then, there was the demonic male voice.  
  
"Dato"  
  
(Granted)  
  
In that second, you opened your hand. The necklace fell down, disappearing in the dark depths of the well, never to be seen again.  
  
Your arm dropped to your side, and after a brief second, you sighed.  
  
"In nomine Domini nostri, et Salvatoris Jesu Christi per licuisse mihi per: ego perpetuum damnant terra sancta est."  
  
(In the name of our lord and savior, by my power granted by jesus christ, I forever condemn this unholy land.)  
  
Your jaw clenched.  
  
"Ut dum impia regni incolis ardebit dilabuntur."  
  
(May its inhabitants burn while its unholy kingdom crumbles.)  
  
In seconds, a rumbling erupted and the entire well shook. With a feel breath, you turned around, hearing the satisfied screams of your fellow demons.  
  
And you continued walking, pretending to be unaware of the inhuman eyes that watched your every move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes out wondrous book of Black Maid! Thank you all so much for reading this story. Now I think I will post one more Vincent x reader one shot before I will post the first chapter of 'Black Maid II' which will be up by next week!
> 
> Until next time~


	46. Bad Romance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vincent is forced to find a bride to continue his legacy as a Phantomhive. Isabella has some unexpected feelings arise that cloud her duties as the head maid.

Sucking in a breath, you glanced over at the person beside you. "Well? What do you think?"

He rubbed his chin as he looked it over. "Interesting. I'm amazed you could mend this on your own. Do you really think the toy business would work out for us?"

You straightened up from the table and narrowed your eyes in thought. "At this point, anything is better than a fishing and trading company. I think the odds are in our favor."

He smiled in satisfaction as he turned to you. "Things have been going better since you came to us. Lord Phantomhive has never been more happier. You are certainly changing him for the better. He is more confident, more sly, more fearless than ever. Funtom has become number one over the past several months. And this is all thanks to you."

You smiled and folded your hands over your heart. "Well, if I couldn't do this much at least, then what kind of maid would I be?"

Amusement crossed his face as he unfolded your hands. "You look far too uncomfortable in that position. Whenever you smile, place your single hand over what you think matters most. Us butlers are trained to have it over our hearts, but you aren't a normal maid. I'd say you can choose whatever you want."

You laughed to yourself. "Thank you for your guidance, Tanaka. You've quite literally taught me everything I know."

He smiled again, but this time it didn't reach his eyes. You noticed this and it made yours slightly fall.

He sighed as he placed his hands behind his back and began to lead you out of the room. "Now, Isabella, aside from his title, money, and business...there is something we must discuss."

As you both walked down the hall, you could tell he was hesitant to speak. "I've noticed you have both gotten quite close. You must remember your role here. You are his maid, he is your master. And this leads me to the certain matter."

He suddenly stopped, and you stopped along with him as he looked up at you. "His legacy. Lord Phantomhive must have an heir that will eventually take over what you have created here. He won't be young forever, soon enough he'll be as old as me."

He chuckled, but his eyes were filled with seriousness. "He needs to be wedded, Isabella. He never had a proper betrothed. And now, he must be married to a lovely lady. And soon."

You rose an eyebrow. "And does he know of this?"

"I doubt it. It's possible to have crossed his mind, but...if he is anything like his father, he would've left it alone to forget about."

Your eyes narrowed at him. "And why are you telling me this exactly?"

He offered a sweet smile that made his wrinkles appear around his eyes. "Because it isn't me who will be telling him."

**. . .**

Muttering under your breath, you knocked on his bedroom door. "Of course, leave it to Isabella...it's not like she cooks or cleans or creates a damn business, nope...just leave it all to Isabella..."

"Come In."

You smiled as you entered the room, but your feet stopped once you saw the shirtless master of yours that was surprisingly doing pull-ups on the bar attached to his bed frame.

"Um...master?"

After a few more, he dropped down and turned to look at you. And once he saw it was you, a smile came on his face. "Isabella, good morning."

Your words caught in your throat as your gaze went to his unbuttoned slacks. "Yes...good morning...master..."

He didn't bother buttoning his pants, though, as he pushed his arms through a white dress shirt and walked over to stand directly in front of you.

"Is there something you need from me?"

Your eyes slowly moved back up to his, and you cleared your throat. "There is an important matter I must discuss with you, my Lord."

He looked down to button up his pants and buckle them as well. "Go on, then. What's wrong? Has Lau caused more trouble again?"

You breathed out as you shut the door. "No. This actually has to do with your legacy."

He picked up the damp towel on his small table and wiped his face with it. "My legacy? I'm not sure what you mean."

"You need to make sure the Phantomhive family will live on. Leave your mark permanently on England."

"With how well everything is with Funtom and hardly any trouble in the Underworld, I would say I will be quite remembered, Isabella. Let's not discuss it further."

"You need an heir, an offspring to carry on your work for your family to be remembered. In order for that to happen..."

He let out a dry laugh as he dropped the towel over the chair. "I said to drop it, Isabella."

"You need to find a suitable wife. And soon."

He froze up. Your jaw clenched when he turned around and glared at you. "And why exactly do I need to be wedded? Having a child isn't enough - now I need to be tied down with a woman who will only be after my money."

You frowned. "That won't happen."

He scoffed. "You may be one hell of a woman, but that you don't even know."

You glared at the back of his head as you walked forward and held out a paper in front of him. He looked at you curiously as he took it. He looked down a tit, seeing two pictures of two different women.

"That is Rachel and Angelina Dalles. They are the daughters of Lord Dalles. He contacted me and I have personally discussed the details of his offer and I believe one of them will suit very nicely as your wife."

His eyes looked the girls over, then he threw down the paper on the small table. "Dalles is a great contributor and business partner. I see no reason to consider this offer." He turned around to sit in his chair and pick up his newspaper.

You sucked your teeth in annoyance. "Are they not to your liking, sir?"

He raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "They are very beautiful young ladies. Any man would be lucky to have them on their arm."

Your look was one of absolute frustration and irritation. "Maser, you fail to see how important this is to you."

He hummed as he picked up his tea cup and sipped it behind the newspaper.

Your foot tapped the floor as you began to lose your patience. You stepped closer to his chair and bent over to where your face was in front of the newspaper.

"One way or another, you will be married. Now you can pick the bride yourself or leave it for me to decide."

The paper was slapped down onto his table. He locked his eyes with yours and leaned closer, mere inches away from your face. "And what if I don't want a bride to marry at all?"

He rose his eyebrow playfully. "What if I am not interested in the girls you and Tanaka throw at me?"

A smile pulled at your lips. "Then we would have a problem. And by we, of course I mean you."

You exhaled through your nose as you picked up the paper with the girls' pictures. You held it up by your face.

"My Lord, please understand. Think about what would be best for your family. For your company. Now, that is all that matters."

For a long moment, his eyes pierced through yours, searching them as if to find a way out of the situation he was being forced into.

After a moment of intense silence, he let out a defeated sigh and snatched the paper from your hand.

You leaned back from him as he stood up. "Fine."

He put the paper back on the table and looked down at it as he buttoned up his shirt.

"Prepare a carriage. And clear my schedule for the rest of the day."

He lightly shook his head. "We're leaving to visit these brides of yours. Let Tanaka know. We leave in fifteen minutes. No later."

You stood back up and bowed your head. "As you wish, master."

You moved to close the door behind you as he was tying his silk tie around his neck.

"And Isabella."

You stopped to look back at him.

He didn't look at you as he spoke. "You're blushing."

His comment made you laugh to yourself as you shut the door.

He smirked and looked at the door once you left.

**. . .**

"Master, I am curious."

He looked away from the window to you, but returned his gaze to it.

"Curious about what?"

You turned your head and slid closer to him.

"Exactly why are you so against being married?"

He twisted himself to look at you with a sigh. "It's not the marrying I have a problem with, Isabella. There was a time when my family was slowly fading away from the eyes of England. And now, I actually have something to lose."

He rose his hand and showed off the ring upon his finger. "Since the day I received this, everything that we have worked for, it is now at risk. If I marry, I will not tolerate a finance vacuum for a wife."

A smile appeared out of amusement from your face.

"Master, I promise you, the ladies I present to you only wish for one thing."

You turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "You. And every bit of affection you have to give."

He huffed. "I'm not a very affectionate person. You know that."

You shrugged. "Your presence of charm alone will be enough. A kiss on the hand or cheek, a compliment here and there, a dazzling, warm smile, and they will be satisfied."

"You make me sound like the very embodiment of romance."

A laugh escaped you. "Well, you are a gentleman. One of my creation, I might add."

He hummed, and you didn't notice the smile on his lips.

You exhaled. "Charm them both. Stay confident. And tonight when I see you to bed, simply say whose company you enjoyed best. That simple."

He nodded his head as he continued to gaze out the window.

"Simple."

**. . .**

When the door creaked and swung open, you were both greeted with a large smile from Lord Dalles.

"Ah, Lord Phantomhive!"

Vincent gave a smile as well and opened his arms to him.

"Richard!'

They shared a brief hug that involved a few pats on the back. Once they seperated, Vincent clasped his shoulder.

"How have you been, old man?"

He let out a hearty laugh. "Better, now that you're here, Vincent."

That was when his eyes noticed you, standing a respectful distance behind him.

"And Isabella, very lovely to see you again, my dear."

You smiled and bowed your head. "A pleasure seeing you again, my Lord."

He chuckled and gestured to the right where a set of double doors were.

"Well don't just stand there, come in! Make yourself comfortable."

You closed the door behind you and followed Vincent as Lord Dalles led him to the doors.

Once they were opened up, Vincent walked in.

Lord Dalles continued speaking, but Vincent was already getting comfortable. He sat himself down on the couch and crossed his legs.

"My, you certainly haven't lost your sense of appearance. My girls certainly do love a man who cares about how he presents himself."

He only received a him in response.

"Say, Vincent, I thank you for contacting me. If you haven't I would be stressing even more about finding good men to marry my girls."

"Richard, do you mind giving us a little privacy?"

Lord Dalles chocked over his words as he realized Vincent was already in the room.

"Oh! Of course, take all the time you need."

Vincent smiled. "Good man."

He nervously laughed as he began to close the door.

"I'll just, uh, I'll go check on my girls and see if they're almost ready, then."

Vincent only smiled again, but once the doors did close, it faded away into a frown.

He looked at you as you hummed in the corner of the room.

"Isabella. Come here. Now."

Your eyebrows rose up at his voice that was firm and his eyes that bored right through you.

You still obeyed and came to where he sat. "Yeees?"

He leaned forward. "Did you or did you not say that it was Dalles that called and it was he that offered us his daughters?"

You shrugged. "Well, usually I would say I prefer not to take sides in an argument, but in this situation, I would lean more towards yes."

He puckered his lips and leaned back. "And Dalles just revealed that I was the one to call him?"

You stayed silent. "You called him in my place, then lied to me about it. It won't happen again. You will never lie to me again. Do you understand?"

You smiled and bowed your head. "Yes. As you wish, my Lord."

He stared at you for a few more seconds, until you lifted your head up.

"Master, your tie has come undone. May I?"

His eyes never left yours as he gave a slight nod. You sat on your knees and reached up to wrap your fingers around the silk material of his tie. The entire time, he was watching you with a certain emotion in his eyes. You tried your best to ignore it, and after a few seconds, you had a perfectly made tie that you gently placed under his shirt.

You moved your hands away to stand up, but he unexpectedly grabbed your wrist.

You stopped moving. And you slowly looked up at him.

There was a hesitant look in his eyes, as if he was battling himself on whether he should proceed or not.

"Isabella, I-"

The door then swung open. You quickly moved away from him and stood behind the couch with your arms behind your back.

Lord Dalles entered with a butler and maid behind him. He let out a laugh as he gestured to Vincent.

"Rachel, Angelina, come say hello to our guest, Lord Phantomhive and his maid, Isabella."

Two girls poked their heads in and walked inside the room with their hands folded in their lap.

At the same time, they curtsied. The girl with the long strawberry blonde hair and deep blue eyes smiled kindly and spoke.

"We are very honored to meet you, my Lord. I am Rachel Dalles."

She looked over at the girl with crimson red hair who looked anywhere but at Vincent.

"I apologize. This is my little sister, Angelina Dalles. She is quite shy around new people."

Vincent smiled at them and stood from his seat to be directly in front of Rachel.

"No, please, there is no need for apology."

He took her hand and gently kissed it. "It's not every day I meet two ladies as lovely as you. My name is Vincent, Lord of Phantomhive."

Rachel smiled as he then turned to Angelina And did the same. "And I am very pleased to meet you both."

You noticed Angelina turn red and look away. Vincent also noticed this and smirked to himself.

"And this is your maid?"

Vincent looked back to Rachel and smiled again. "Yes. Isabella, do introduce yourself."

You nodded. "Yes, sir." You walked closer to them and bowed your head to the girls. "Good day, I am Isabella Brieris, head maid to the Phantomhive Estate."

Rachel looked to Vincent in confusion. "A head maid? I have never heard of such a thing. Head butler of course."

Vincent chuckled. "Miss Dalles-"

"Rachel, please." She smiled.

He smiled in return. "Rachel. Isabella is the only maid under my household. She has as much power as my head butler." 

She rose her eyebrows and looked at you in complete surprise. "Only one maid? Well pardon my bluntness, but how can a manor possibly run with only one maid?"

He turned to look at you with a proud smirk.

Your lips formed a smirk of your own as you looked into her eyes. "See, my lady, I am simply one hell of a maid."

**. . .**

Lord Dalles chuckled to himself as he smoked his cigar. "I think it's going well. I see a lot of interaction between him and Rachel. Do you guarantee he will treat her well?"

The smile that was usually on your lips wasn't there as you nodded. "You have my word, my Lord."

He nodded with a sad smile as he glanced at the portrait of his daughters that hung on the wall.

You turned away to look out the window. Vincent was standing outside on the balcony with Angelina beside them as they looked out into the garden.

You expected yourself to smile, but you found yourself continuing to frown. Perhaps because he didn't even look embarrassed as he picked a few flowers and handed one to her, before walking out of sight.

Or maybe it was because when he reappeared, he was on the opposite side, now with Rachel as he handed her the remaining flowers. She blushed as he kissed her cheek and offered her his arm. And not once did he even look embarrassed or doubtful.

But then why should he? There's nothing between you, after all.

You moved the curtain back in place and looked away from it, your jaw clenching as Lord Dalles stood from his seat. "I think it's time for lunch. Isabella, would you please bring them to the dining hall?"

You bowed your head. "Certainly, my Lord."

**. . .**

Your presence went unnoticed by them as they were whispering to each other on the ground by the patch of flowers. And once you heard his laughter, you decided to speak.

"Master."

He glanced behind him and once he saw you, his laughter stopped. "What is it?"

You forced a smile. "Please excuse the intrusion. Lord Dalles asked me to fetch you for lunch, my Lord."

He nodded. "Yes, of course." He opened his hands to her and she took them as he pulled her up from the ground. He walked over to stand beside you as she picked a few more flowers to bring with her.

"She has a real eye for those flowers, doesn't she." Vincent gave her a tender smile, that only when Rachel returned one back made you suddenly very. . . protective.

"Yes. A shame it wasn't her who broke her back to plant them." You winced when he looked at you with a hard glare. "Apologies, master. That was inappropriate."

"Yes, it was." He nodded for you to go and you did as he wanted.

And as they followed you, you were cursing yourself for what you had said.

**. . .**

The day passed faster than you thought it would. The lunch went smoothly, with Vincent and Rachel stealing glances and smiling at each other the entire time.

You rolled your eyes every time Rachel would ask Vincent to hand her something and every time, the brushed hands.

Honestly, you found the entire day to be irritating. And you had no idea why.

But you were also confused, because once Vincent stepped foot on the manor, the smile and happiness that was clear on his face completely disappeared.

His entire attitude was back to it's playful, distant self. And once he handed you his coat and hat, he walked off to his room without another room.

Even Tanaka noticed it. And when he asked you what was wrong, for once you didn't have an answer.

But you were determined to find out.

And that brought you here, outside his door. Where you stood and sighed, before reaching up to knock on his door.

***Knock* *Knock***

"Master? May I come in?"

There was a long moment of silence.

"Come in."

His voice didn't sound like himself. It sounded...conflicted.

The door opened and the very first thing you noticed was how dark the room was. The second was him, sitting in his chair that was placed in the far corner of the room. He was gazing out the window with his fist tightly clenched in his lap.

"Dear, it's incredibly dark in here. It isn't that time of the month is it?"

A faint chuckle was heard. "Shut the door."

His voice had now turned form and commanding.

You did as was told.

"Lock it."

You hesitated, silently wondering why as you still did as was told.

"Come here."

Again, you did as was told, for some reason the sound of his voice making you more curious.

"Master, is everything-"

You felt a hand shoot out and grab you by the wrist, yanking you backwards.

Your demonic senses kicked in and assuming a threat, you backflipped into the bed and pinned down the person's arms.

That was, until you realized you were looking right at dark chocolate brown eyes.

"Master..."

You let go of his arms and slid off the bed. He also sat up and rested his arm over his bent knee.

"Over so soon? You're no fun tonight."

You kept your arms at your sides as you shook your head.

His smile began to drop. He leaned forward and stood up off the bed. You looked up as he opened his hand to you.

You were confused at first, until he grew tired of waiting and grabbed your hand. Your entire body tensed up when he removed your glove, revealing the contract mark on the back of your hand.

He stared at it for a moment, then reached into his pants pocket. You couldn't really see what he pulled out, but you knew it was small.

That's when you felt something slide onto your finger.

You moved your hand towards the window and the moonlight shined down on the object, revealing it to be a ring with a large, red ruby in the center. 

You were beyond confused now. And when you looked back at him, he was leaning against one of the posts that made up the bed and he was smirking at your reaction. You unconsciously stepped back when he stepped closer to you.

"I understand how curious cats can be. Do you want to know why I rejected leaving to go there?"

You tried your best to keep your face clear of emotion, but you couldn't deny the fact that you were curious.

You stepped back again as he went closer, and you felt your back hit against the wall. He grew closer and looked into your eyes. At the same time, you could feel his fingers entwine with yours. He rose your joined hands up for you to see.

"I don't want a lady, Isabella. What I want is the exact opposite."

You glanced over at the ring on your finger, then the hand that forced its way in yours. And you remembered something.

_Flashback..._

_As you both walked down the hall, you could tell he was hesitant to speak. "I've noticed you have both gotten quite close. You must remember your role here. You are his maid, he is your master. And this leads me to the certain matter."_

You breathed out. _He's right. But it goes beyond that..._

Your hand unclasped his and slid away from it. You rose your head and chuckled demonically. 

"How foolish of you, master."

You stepped closer, esxpecting him to step back, but he didn't and only stared at you.

"I think you've completely forgotten my role here."

You grinned as your eyes went demonic. "There's only one thing I want from you. The only thing I continue to stay here for."

You grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer to breathe on his lips. "The scent of what lies beyond this flesh and blood."

After a few seconds, he grabbed the hand that held his shirt and pulled it from his clothing. When you looked up at him, he had a blank face. But he eventually gave a tight-lipped smile.

"I understand completely. Our contract. That is the only bond we will ever have."

He let go of your wrist and ran a hand through his hair as he sat himself on the bed and moved to lay down.

"I liked Rachel. Very sweet, kind, and had a beautiful smile. She will make a perfect bride to me." He turned his head to you one last time. "Make it happen."

You managed a smile. And when you moved to place your hand over your heart, you stopped.

_Flashback..._

_Amusement crossed his face as he unfolded your hands. "You look far too uncomfortable in that position. Whenever you smile, place your single hand over what you think matters most. Us butlers are trained to have it over our hearts, but you aren't a normal maid. I'd say you can choose whatever you want."_

_Over what matters most..._

You instead moved it down to place on your stomach and you bowed your head. "Yes, my Lord."

**. . .**

The next morning, you were standing respectively behind the couch in the manor that belonged to Lord Dalles.

You kept your eyes at the doors while Vincent and Rachel were laughing and smiling. And when you heard Rachel whisper into Vincent's hear, followed by the sounds of his laughter you could feel yourself returning further into the dark shadows in the corner of the room.

The doors opened soon after and Angelina walked in, chipper as ever with a smile on her face. 

"Rachel, there's something I need to tell..."

Once she saw Vincent, she trailed off in surprise, but once she saw their hands that were holding each other and how happy they were, her eyes began to grow more wet with salty tears.

Rachel looked over at her and smiled largely. "An, I have wonderful news!" 

By he happiness in her voice, you forced yourself to smile. Even if it was fake. And you weren't the only one.

Rachel shot up from the couch and ran over to her sister. She raised up her hand that showed the ring upon her finger. And once Angelina saw it, you could see her heart shattering piece by piece.

"Vincent and I are engaged! He proposed this morning, can you believe it!"

She gave a wary smile as she stared at her sister, the tears starting to well up now. "Oh...I-I'm so very happy for you...I'm crying with joy..."

You glanced down at the ring that was on your finger as Vincent stood up and wrapped an arm around Rachel's waist.

And it was when he pulled her in for a kiss that for the very first time, you and a human shared the same emotions for the same person.


End file.
